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UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


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DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 

SOCIETIES 

WJSofi  Anne* 


.N87 


ia74 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPE L HILL 


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This  book  is  due  at  the  LOUIS  R.  WILSON  LIBRARY  on  the 
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http://archive.org/details/twelveyearsslavenort 


SOLOMON   IN    HIS   PLANTATION   SUIT. 


,p/riu&L'  c^c^u 


FIFTH  THOUSAND. 

twelyFyearsTTlite. 


NAEEATIYE 


SOLOMON  NORTHUP, 


A  CITIZEN  OF  NEW-YORK, 


KIDNAPPED  IN  WASHINGTON  CITY  IN  M\ 


t 


RESCUED  IN  1853, 


FROM  A  COTTON  PLANTATION  NEAR  THE  RED  RIVB^ 
IN  LOUISIANA. 


*7  CtW 

AUBURN: 

DERBY   AND   MILLER. 

BUFFALO: 

DERBY,  ORTON  AND  MULLIGAN 

LONDON: 

SAMPBON  LOW,  SON  &  COMPANY,  41  LUDGATE 

1853. 


n 


4 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 

fifty-three,  by 

Dseby  and  Miller, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Northern  District  of  New-York. 

Entered  in  London  at  Stationers'  Hall. 


TO 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE: 

•WHOSE  NAME, 
THROUGHOUT    THE    WOELD,     IS     IDENTIFIED    'WITH    THE 

GREAT   REFORM: 

THIS    HABBATIVB,    AFFORDING    ANOTHER 

®C2  to  ©facie  Eom'a  ©aim, 

IS   RESPECTFULLY    DEDICATED 


if 

X 


"  Suefa  dupes  are  men  to  custom,  and  so  prone 
To  reverenco  what  is  ancient,  and  can  plead 
A  course  of  long  observance  for  its  use, 
That  even  servitude,  the  worst  of  ills, 
Because  delivered  down  from  sire  to  son, 
Is  kept  and  guarded  as  a  sacred  thing. 
But  is  it  fit,  or  can  it  bear  the  shock 
Of  rational  discussion,  that  a  man 
Compounded  and  made  up,  like  other  men, 
Of  elements  tumultuous,  in  whom  lust 
And  folly  in  as  ample  measure  meet, 
As  in  the  bosom  of  the  slave  he  rules, 
Should  be  a  despot  absolute,  and  boast 
Himself  the  only  freeman  of  his  land  ?  " 

COWTICE. 


CONTENTS. 


PASS. 

Editor's  Peejaoe, 15 

CHAPTER  I. 

Introductory  —  Ancestry  —  The  Northup  Family  —  Birth  and 
Parentage  -«-  Mintus  North  up  —  Marriage  "with  Anne  Hamp- 
ton—  Good  Resolutions —  Champlain  Canal — Eafting  Ex- 
cursion to  Canada  —  Farming  —  The  Violin  —  Cooking — ■ 
Removal  to  Saratoga  —  Parker  and  Perry  —  Slaves  and  Sla- 
very—The Children  — The  Beginning  of  Sorrow 11 

CHAPTER  H. 

The  two  Strangers — The  Circus  Company  —  Departure  from 
Saratoga — Ventriloquism  and  Legerdemain  —  Journey  to 
New-York  —  Free  Papers  —  Brown  and  Hamilton — The 
haste  to  reach  the  Circus  —  Arrival  in  Washington  —  Fune- 
ral of  Harrison —  The  Sudden  Sickness  —  The  Torment  of 
Thirst — The  Receding  Light — Insensibility  —  Chains  and 
Darkness, 28 

CHAPTER  m. 

Painful  Meditations — James  H.  Burch — Williams'  Slave  Pen 
in  Washington — The  Lackey,  Radburn — Assert  my  Free- 
dom— The  Anger  of  the  Trader — The  Paddle  and  Cat-o'-nine- 
tails— The  Whipping — New  Acquaintances —  Ray,  Williams, 
and  Randall — Arrival  of  Little  Emily  and  her  Mother  in  the 
Pen  — Maternal  Sorrows — The  Story  of  Eliza, 40 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PAQE. 

Efisa's  Sorrows  —  Preparation  to  Embark — Driven  Through 
*h*  Streets  of  Washington — Hail,  Columbia — The  Tomb  of 
Washington  —  Clem  Ray — The  Breakfast  en  the  Steamer — 
The  happy  Birds — Aquia  Creek — Fredericksburgh — Arri- 
val in  Richmond —  Goodin  and  his  Slave  Pen  —  Robert,  of 
Cincinnati — David  and  his  Wife — Mary  and  Lethe — Clem'a 
Keturn  —  His  subsequent  Escape  to  Canada  —  The  Brig  Or- 
leans— James  H.  Burch, 54 

CHAPTER  V. 

Awiral  at  Norfolk — Frederick  and  Maria — Arthur,  the  Free- 
man— Appointed  Steward  —  Jim,  Cuffee,  and  Jenny  —  The 
fitorm — Bahama  Banks — The  Calm — The  Conspiracy — The 
Jjong  Boat — The  Small-Pox  —  Death  of  Robert — Manning, 
tha  Sailor — The  Meeting  in  the  Forecastle — The  Letter — 
sirrival  at  New-Orleans — Arthur's  Rescue — Theophilus  Free- 
man, the  Consignee — Piatt — First  Night  in  the  New-Orleans 

.    Slave.  Pen, 65 

CHAPTER  VI. 

#reernan's  Industry  —  Cleanliness  and  Clothes — Exercising  in 
the  Show  Room  —  The  Dance  —  Bob,  the  Fiddler — Arrival 
of  Customers  —  Slaves  Examined — The  Old  Gentleman  of 
New-Orleans  — Sale  of  David,  Caroline,  and  Lethe  —  Parting 
of  Randall  and  Eliza  —  Small-Pox — The  Hospital — Recov- 
ery and  Return  to  Freeman's  Slave  Pen — The  Purchaser  of 
Eliea,  Harry,  and  Piatt — Eliza's  Agony  on  Parting  from 
Little  Emily 18 

CHAPTER  VH. 

fhe  Steamboat  Rodolph — Departure  from  New-Orleans — Wil- 
liam Ford — Arrival  at  Alexandria,  on  Red  River  —  Resolu- 
tions—  The  Great  Pine  Woods — Wild  Cattle — Martin's  Sum- 
mer Residence — The  Texas  Road — Arrival  at  Master  Ford's 
— Rose  —  Mistress  Ford  —  Sally  and  her  Children  —  John,  the 
Oook  —  Walter,  Sam,  and  Antony  —  The  Mills  on  Indian 
Creek  —  Sabbath  Days  —  Sam's  Conversion  —  The  Profit  of 


CONTENTS.  IX 

PAGE. 

Kindness — Rafting — Adam  Taydeni,  the  Little  White  Man — 
Cascalla  and  his  Tribe  —  The  Indian  Ball  —  John  M.  Tibeats 
— The  Storm  approaching, S9 

CHAPTER  Vni. 

Ford's  Embarrassments — The  Sale  to  Tibeats  —  The  Chattel 
Mortgage  —  Mistress  Ford's  Plantation  on  Bayou  Bceuf — 
Description  of  the  Latter — Ford's  Brother-indaw,  Peter  Tan- 
ner—  Meeting  with  Eliza  —  She  still  Mourns  for  her  Chil- 
dren—  Ford's  Overseer,  Chapin  —  Tibeats'  Abuse — The  Keg 
of  Kails — The  First  Fight  with  Tibeats — His  Discomfiture 
and  Castigation  —  The  attempt  to  Hang  me  —  Chapin's  In- 
terference and  Speech  —  Unhappy  Reflections  —  Abrupt  De- 
parture of  Tibeats,  Cook,  and  Ramsey  —  Lawson  and  the 
Brown  Mule  —  Message  to  the  Pine  "Woods, 105 

CHAPTER  LX. 

The  Hot  Sun  —  Yet  bound  —  The  Cords,  sink  into  my  Flesh — 
Chapin's  Uneasiness — Speculation  —  Rachel,  and  her  Cup  of 
Water — Suffering  increases — 'The  Happiness  of  Slavery — ^ 
Arrival  of  Ford  —  He  cuts  the  Cords  which  bind  me,  and 
takes  the  Rope  from  my  Neck — Misery — The  gathering  of 
the  Slaves  in  Eliza's  Cabin — Their  Kindness  —  Rachel  Re- 
peats the  Occurrences  of  the  Day  —  Lawson  entertains  his 
Companions  with  an  Account  of  his  Ride  —  Chapin's  appre- 
hensions of  Tibeats  —  Hired  to  Peter  Tanner  —  Peter  ex- 
pounds the  Scriptures  —  Description  of  the  Stocks, 118 

CHAPTER  X. 

Return  to  Tibeats  —  Impossibility  of  pleasing  him  —  He  at- 
tacks me  with  a  Hatchet — The  Struggle  over  the  Broad  Axe 
—  The  Temptation  to  Murder  him  —  Escape  across  the  Plan- 
tation— Observations  from  the  Fence  —  Tibeats  approaches, 
followed  by  the  Hounds — They  take  my  Track — Their  loud 
Tells  —  They  almost  overtake  me  —  I  reach  the  Water  — 
The  Hounds  confused — Moccasin  Snakes — Alligators — Night 
in  the  "Great  Pacoudrie  Swamp" — The  Sounds  of  Life  — 
A* 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE, 

North-West   Course  —  Emerge  into  the  Pine  "Woods — Slave 
and  his  Young  Master  —  Arrival  at  Ford's — Food  and  Rest,  131 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Mistress'  Garden  —  The  Crimson  and  Golden  Fruit  —  Or- 
ange and  Pomegranate  Trees  —  Return  to  Bayou  Bceuf — 
Master  Ford's  Remarks  on  the  way — The  Meeting  with  Tib- 
eats — His  Account  of  the  Chase  —  Ford  censures  hia  Brutal- 
ity— 'Arrival  at  the  Plantation  —  Astonishment  of  the  Slaves 
on  seeing  me — The  anticipated  Flogging — Kentucky  John 
—Mr.  Eldret,  the  Planter  — Eldret's  Sam  — Trip  to  the  "Big 
Cane  Brake" — The  Tradition  of  "Sutton's  Field" — Forest 
Trees  —  Gnats  and  Mosquitoes  —  The  Arrival  of  Black  Wo- 
men in  the  Big  Cane  —  Lumber  Women  —  Sudden  Appear- 
ance of  Tibeats  —  His  Provoking  Treatment  —  Visit  to  Ba- 
you Bcauf — The  Slave  Pass  —  Southern  Hospitality — The 
Last  of  Eliza  —  Sale  to  Edwin  Epps, 146 

CHAPTER  XE. 

Personal  Appearance  of  Epps  —  Epps,  Drunk  and  Sober — A 
Glimpse  of  his  History  —  Cotton  Growing  —  The  Mode  of 
Ploughing  and  Preparing  Ground  —  Of  Planting,  of  Hoe- 
ing, of  Picking,  of  Treating  Raw  Hands  — The  difference  in 
Cotton  Pickers  —  Patsey  a  remarkable  one — Tasked  accord- 
ing to  Ability  —  Beauty  of  a  Cotton  Field  —  The  Slave's  La- 
bors—  Fear  of  Approaching  the  Gin-House  —  Weighing  — 
"  Chores"—  Cabin  Life  — The  Corn  Mill  — The  Uses  of  the 
Gourd  —  Fear  of  Oversleeping  —  Fear  continually  —  Mode 
of  Cultivating  Corn  —  Sweet  Potatoes  —  Fertility  of  the  Soil 
—  Fattening  Hogs  —  Preserving  Bacon  —  Raising  Cattle  — 
Shooting-Matches— Garden  Products — Flowers  and  Verdure,  162 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

The  Curious  Axe-Helve  —  Symptoms  of  approaching  Hlness — 
Continue    to    decline  —  The    Whip    ineffectual  —  Confined 


CONTENTS.  Al 

PAOB. 

to  the  Cabin  —  Visit  by  Dr.  "Wines — Partial  Recovery — Fail- 
ure at  Cotton  Picking  —  What  may  be  heard  on  Epps'  Plan- 
tation—Lashes Graduated  —  Epps  in  a  Whipping  Mood  — 
Epps  in  a  Dancing  Mood  —  Description  of  the  Dance  —  Loss 
of  Rest  no  Excuse  —  Epps'  Characteristics  —  Jim  Burns — Re- 
moval from  Huff  Power  to  Bayou  Bceuf — Description  of 
Uncle  Abram;  of  Wiley;  of  Aunt  Phebe;  of  Bob,  Henry, 
and  Edward ;  of  Patsey ;  with  a  Genealogical  Account  of 
each  —  Something  of  their  Past  History,  and  Peculiar  Char- 
acteristics—  Jealousy  and  Lust  —  Patsey,  the  Victim, 1Y6 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Destruction  of  the  Cotton  Crop  in  1845  —  Demand  for  Laborers 
in  St.  Mary's  Parish  —  Sent  thither  in  a  Drove  —  The  Order 
of  the  March — The  Grand  Coteau — Hired  to  Judge  Turner  on 
Bayou  Salle  —  Appointed  Driver  in  his  Sugar  House — Sun- 
day Services  —  Slave  Furniture ;  how  obtained —  The  Party 
at  Yarney's,  in  Centreville  —  Good  Fortune  —  The  Captain 
of  the  Steamer  —  His  Refusal  to  Secrete  me  —  Return  to  Ba- 
you Boeuf — Sight  of  Tibeats  —  Patsey's  Sorrows  —  Tumult 
and  Contention  —  Hunting  the  Coon  and  Opossum  —  The 
Cunning  of  the  latter  —  The  Lean  Condition  of  the  Slave  — 
Description  of  the  Fish  Trap  —  The  Murder  of  the  Man  from 
Natchez — Epps  Chalenged  by  Marshall — The  Influence  of 
Slavery  —  The  Love  of  Freedom, 191 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Labors  on  Sugar  Plantations — The  Mode  of  Planting  Cane  — 
of  Hoeing  Cane — Cane  Ricks  —  Cutting  Cane  —  Description 
of  the  Cane  Knife  —  Winrowing  —  Preparing  for  Succeeding 
Crops — Description  of  Hawkins'  Sugar  Mill  on  Bayou  Boeuf 
—  The  Christmas  Holidays  —  The  Carnival  Season  of  the 
Children  of  Bondage — The  Christmas  Supper  —  Red,  the  Fa- 
vorite Color — The  Violin,  and  the  Consolation  it  afforded  — 
The  Christmas  Dance — Lively,  the  Coquette — Sam  Roberts, 
and  his  Rivals — Slave  Songs — Southern  Life  as  it  is — Three 
Days  in  the  Year — The  System  of  Marriage — Uncle  Abram's 
Contempt  of  Matrimony «  203 


atll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Ov<Jrse«rB— 'How  they  are  Armed  and  Accompanied — The 
Homicide  —  His  Execution  at  Marksville — Slave  Drivers  — 
Appointed  Driver  on  removing  to  Bayou  Boeuf  —  Practice 
makes  perfect — Epps's  Attempt  to  Cut  Piatt's  Throat — The 
Escape  from  him — Protected  by  the  Mistress — Forbids  Read- 
ing and  "Writing — Obtain  a  Sheet  of  Paper  after  Nine  Years' 
Effort  —  The  Letter  —  Armsby,  the  Mean  White  —  Partially 
Confide  in  him  —  His  Treachery  —  Epps'  Suspicions  —  How 
they  were  quieted — Burning  the  Letter — Amisby  leaves 
the  Bayou— Disappointment  and  Despair, 228 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

Wiley  disregards  the  counsels  of  Aunt  Phebe  and  Uncle  Abram, 
and  is  e&ught  by  the  Patrollers —  The  Organization  and  Du- 
ties of  the  latter — "Wiley  Runs  Away — Speculations  in  re- 
jg&rd  to  him — His  Unexpected  Return —  His  Capture  on  the 
Red  River,  and  Confinement  in  Alexandria  Jail— Discovered 
by  Joseph  B.  Roberts  —  Subduing  Dogs  in  anticipation  of 
Escape  —  The  Fugitives  in  the  Great  Pine  Woods  —  Captur- 
ed by  Adam  Taydem  and  the  Indians  —  Augustus  killed  by 
Dogs — Nelly,  Eldret's  Slave  "Woman — The  Story  of  Celeste 

—  The  Concerted  Movement  —  Lew  Cheney,  the  Traitor  — 
The  Idea  of  Insurrection, 286 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CNiel,  the  Tanner — Conversation  with  Aunt  Phebe  overheard 

—  Epps  in  the  Tanning  Business  —  Stabbing  of  Uncle  Abram 

—  The  Ugly  Wound — Epps  is  Jealous  —  Patsey  is  Missing — 
Her  Return  from  Shaw's  —  Harriet,  Shaw's  Black  Wife  — 
Eppa  Enraged  — Patsey  denies  his  Charges — She  is  Tied 
Down  Naked  to  Four  Stakes — The  Inhuman  Flogging  — 
"Flaying  of  Patsey — The  Beauty  of  the  Day  —  The  Bucket  of 
Salt  Water  —  The  Dress  stiff  with  Blood — Patsey  grows 
Melancholy — Her  Idea  of  God  and  Eternity — Of  Heaven  and 
Freedom — The  Effect  of  Slave-Whipping  —  Epps'  Oldest  Son 

—  "The  Child  is  Father  to  the  Man," )4 250 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  XLX. 

PAGE. 

Avery,  on  Bayou  Rouge  —  Peculiarity  of  Dwellings  —  Epp3 
builds  a  New  House  —  Bass,  the  Carpenter — His  Noble  Qual- 
ities— His  Personal  Appearance  and  Eccentricities — Bass 
and  Epps  discuss  the  Question  of  Slavery  —  Epps'  Opinion 
of  Bass  —  I  make  myself  known  to  him — Our  Conversation 
—  His  Surprise — The  Midnight  Meeting  on  the  Bayou  Bank 
— Bass'  Assurances  —  Declares  "War  against  Slavery — Why 
I  did  not  Disclose  my  History  —  Bass  writes  Letters  —  Copy 
of  his  Letter  to  Messrs.  Parker  and  Perry  —  The  Fever  of 
Suspense  —  Disappointments  —  Bass  endeavors  to  cheer  me 
—My  Faith  in  him, 263 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Bass  faithful  to  his  word  —  His  Arrival  on  Christmas  Eve  — 
The  Difficulty  of  Obtaining  an  Interview  —  The  Meeting  in 
the  Cabin  —  Son-arrival  of  the  Letter — Bass  announces  his 
Intention  to  proceed  North  —  Christmas — Coversation  be- 
tween Epps  and  Bass  —  Young  Mistress  McCoy,  the  Beauty 
of  Bayou  Bceuf — The  "Ne  plus  ultra"  of  Dinners  —  Music 
and  Dancing  —  Presence  of  the  Mistress  —  Her  Exceeding 
Beauty  —  The  Last  Slave  Dance  —  "William  Pierce  —  Over- 
sleep myself ^-The  Last  Whipping  —  Despondency  —  Cold 
Morning — Epps'  Threats  —  The  Passing  Carriage — Stran- 
gers approaching  through  the  Cotton-Field  —  Last  Hour  on 
Bayou  Bceuf, 279 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Letter  reaches  Saratoga — Is  forwarded  to  Anne  —  Is  laid 
before  Henry  B.  Northup  —  The  Statute  of  May  14, 1840  — 
Its  Provisions  —  Anne's  Memorial  to  the  Governor  —  The  af- 
fidavits Accompanying  it  —  Senator  Soule's  Letter  —  Depar- 
ture of  the  Agent  appointed  by  the  Governor  —  Arrival  at 
Marksville  —  The  Hon.  John  P.  Waddill  —  The  Conversation 
on  New-York  Politics  —  It  suggests  a  Fortunate  Idea  —  The 
Meeting  with  Bass  — The  Secret  out  —  Legal  Proceedings  in- 
stituted— Departure  of  Northup  and  the  Sheriff  from  Marks- 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

PAGH. 

ville  for  Bayou  Boeuf  —  Arrangements  on  the  Way — Reach 
Epps'  Plantation  —  Discover  his  Slaves  in  the  Cotton-Field — 
The  Meeting  — The  Farewell, 289 

CHAPTER  XXH. 

Arrival  in  New-Orleans  —  Glimpse  of  Freeman  —  Genois,  the 
Recorder  —  His  Description  of  Solomon  —  Reach  Charleston 
Interrupted  by  Custom  House  Officers  —  Pass  through  Rich- 
mond—  Arrival  in  Washington  —  Burch  Arrested  —  Shekels 
and  Thorn  —  Their  Testimony  —  Burch  Acquitted  —  Arrest 
of  Solomon  —  Burch  withdraws  the  Complaint  —  The  High- 
er Tribunal  —  Departure  from  Washington — Arrival  at  San- 
dy Hill  —  Old  Friends  and  Familiar  Scenes  —  Proceed  to 
Glens  Falls — Meeting  with  Anne,  Margaret,  and  Elizabeth — 
Solomon  Northup  Staunton  —  Incidents — Conclusion, S10 

Appendix, 323 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Portrait  of  Solomon  in  his  Plantation  Suit, 

Scene  in  the  Slave  Pen  at  Washington, 

Separation  of  Eliza  and  her  last  Child, 

Chapin  rescues  Solomon  from  Hanging, • 

The  Staking  out  and  Flogging  of  the  girl  Patset, 

Scene  in  the  Cotton  Field,  and  Solomon's  Delivery, 

Arrival  Home,  and  first  meeting  with  his  Wife  and  Children, 


EDITOR'S  PBEFACE 


When  the  editor  commenced  the  preparation  of  the  fol- 
lowing narrative,  he  did  not  suppose  it  would  reach  the  size  of 
tins  volume,  hi  order,  however,  to  present  all  the  facts  which 
have  been  communicated  to  him,  it  has  seemed  necessary  to 
extend  it  to  its  present  length. 

Many  of  the  statements  contained  in  the  following  pages  are 
corroborated  by  abundant  evidence  —  others  rest  entirely  upon 
Solomon's  assertion.  That  he  has  adhered  strictly  to  the  truth, 
the  editor,  at  least,  who  has  had  an  opportunity  of  detecting 
any  contradiction  or  discrepancy  in  his  statements,  is  well  sat- 
isfied. He  has  invariably  repeated  the  same  story  without 
deviating  in  the  slightest  particular,  and  has  also  carefully  pe- 
rused the  manuscript,  dictating  an  alteration  wherever  the  most 
trivial  inaccuracy  has  appeared. 

It  was  Solomon's  fortune,  during  his  captivity,  to  be  owned  by  ' 
several  masters.     The  treatment  he  received  while  at  the  "  Pine 
Woods  "  shows  that  among  slaveholders  there  are  men  of  hu- 
manity as  weUasof cxuejty.     Some  of  them  are  spoken  of  with  j 
emotions  of  gratitude  —  others  in  a  spirit  of  bitterness.     It  is  ; 


XVI  EDITOR  S    PREFACE- 

'S 

believed  that  the  following  account  of  his_exp£xka£c  on  Bayou 


Bceuf  presents  a  correct  picture  of  Slavery  in  all  its  lights  and 
shadows,  as  it  now  exists  in  that  locality.  Unbiased,  as  he 
conceives,  by  any  prepossessions  or  prejudices,  the  only  object 
of  the  editor  has  been  to  give  a  faithful  history  of  Solomon 
Northup's  life,  as  he  received  it  from  his  lips. 

In  the  accomplishment  of  that  object,  he  trusts  he  has  suc- 
ceeded, notwithstanding  the  numerous  faults  of  style  and  of 
expresssion  it  may  be  found  to  contain. 

DAVID  WILSON. 

Whitehall,  N.  Y.,  May,  1853. 


NARRATIVE  OF  SOLOMON  NORTHUP. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY ANCESTRY THE  NORTHUP  FAMILY BIRTH  AND  PARENT- 
AGE  MLNTUS  NORTHUP MARRIAGE  WITH  ANNE  HAMPTON GOOD  RES- 
OLUTIONS  CHAMPLAIN     CANAL RAFTING    EXCURSION     TO     CANADA 

FARMING THE   VIOLIN COOKING REMOVAL  TO    SARATOGA PARKER 

AND    PERRY SLAVES    AND  SLAVERY THE  CHILDREN THE  BEGINNING 

OF   SORROW. 

Haying  been  born  a  freeman,  and  for  more  than 
thirty  years  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  liberty  in  a  free 
State  —  and  having  at  the  end  of  that  time  been  kid- 
napped and  sold  into  Slavery,  where  I  remained,  until 
happily  rescued  in  the  month  of  January,  1S53,  after 
a  bondage  of  twelve  years — it  has  been  suggested 
that  an  account  of  my  life  and  fortunes  would  not  be 
uninteresting  to  the  public. 

I  Since  my  return  to  liberty,  I  have  not  failed  to  per- 
ceive the  increasing  interest  throughout  the  Northern 
States,  in  regard  to  the  subject  of  Slavery.  "Works  of 
fiction,  professing  to  portray  its  features  in  their  more 
pleasing  as  well  as  more  repugnant  aspects,  have  been 


IS  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

circulated  to  an  extent  unprecedented,  and,  as  I  un- 
derstand, have  created  a  fruitful  topic  of  comment  and 

discussion. 
I  can  speak  of  Slavery  only  so  far  as  it  came  under 

my  own  observation  —  only  so  far  as  I  have  known 
and  experienced  it  in  my  own  person.  My  object  is, 
to  give  a  candid  and  truthful  statement  of  facts :  to 
repeat  the  story  of  my  life,  without-  exaggeration,  leav- 
ing it  for  others  to  determine,  whether  even  the  pages 
of  fiction  present  a  picture  of  more  cruel  wrong  or  a 
severer  bondage. 

,>.  As  far  back  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  my 
ancestors  on  the  paternal  side  were  slaves  in  Ehode 
Island.  They  belonged  to  a  family  by  the  name  of 
2SI  orthup,  one  of  whom,  removing  to  the  State  of  New- 
York,  settled  at  Hoosic,  in  Eensselaer  county.  He 
brought  with  him  Mintus  ISTorthup,  my  father.  On 
the  death  of  this  gentleman,  which  must  have  occur- 
red some  fifty  years  ago,  my  father  became  free,  hav- 
ing been  emancipated  by  a  direction  in  his  will. 

Henry  B.  IsTorthup,  Esq.,  of  Sandy  Hill,  a  distin- 
guished counselor  at  law,  and  the  man  to  whom,  un- 
der Providence,  I  am  indebted  for  my  present  liberty, 
and  my  return  to  the  society  of  my  wife  and  children, 
is  a  relative  of  the  family  in  which  my  forefathers 
were  thus  held  to  service,  and  from  which  they  took 
the  name  I  bear.  To  this  fact  may  be  attributed  the 
persevering  interest  he  has  taken  in  my  behalf. 

Sometime  after  my  father's  liberation,  he  removed 
to  the  town  of  Minerva,  Essex  county,  1ST.  Y.,  where  I 


PARENTAGE.  19 

was  born,  in  the  month  of  July,  1808.  How  long  he 
remained  in  the  latter  place  I  have  not  the  means  of 
definitely  ascertaining.  From  thence  he  removed  to 
Granville,  Washington  county,  near  a  place  known  as 
Slyborough,  where,  for  some  years,  he  labored  on  the 
farm  of  Clark  2>Torthup,  also  a  relative  of  his  old  mas- 
ter ;  from  thence  he  removed  to  the  Alden  farm,  at 
Moss  Street,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  village  of 
Sandy  Hill ;  and  from  thence  to  the  farm  now  owned 
by  Kussel  Pratt,  situated  on  the  road  leading  from 
Fort  Edward  to  Argyle,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  which  took  place  on  the  22d  day  of 
November,  1829.  He  left  a  widow  and  two  children 
— myself,  and  Joseph,  an  elder  brother.  The  latter 
is  still  living  in  the  county  of  Oswego,  near  the  city 
of  that  name  ;  my  mother  died  during  the  period  of 
my  captivity. 

Though  born  a  slave,  and  laboring  under  the  disad- 
vantages to  which  my  unfortunate  race  is  subjected, 
my  father  was  a  man  respected  for  his  industry  and 
integrity,  as  many  now  living,  who  well  remember 
him,  are  ready  to  testify.  His  whole  life  was  passed  in 
the  peaceful  pursuits  of  agriculture,  never  seeking  em- 
ployment in  those  more  menial  positions,  which  seem 
to  be  especially  allotted  to  the  children  of  Africa.  Be- 
sides giving  us  an  education  surpassing  that  ordinari- 
ly bestowed  upon  children  in  our  condition,  he  ac- 
quired, ( by  his  diligence  and  economy,  a  sufficient 
property  qualification  to  entitle  him  to  the  right  of 
suffrage.    He  was  accustomed  to  speak  to  us  of  his 


20  TWELVE   YEAES    A    SLAVE. 

early  life ;  and  although  at  all  times  cherishing  the 
warmest  emotions  of  kindness,  and  even  of  affection 
towards  the  family,  in  whose  house  he  had  been  a 
bondsman,  he  nevertheless  comprehended  the  system 
of  Slavery,  and  dwelt  with  sorrow  on  the  degradation 
of  his  race.  He  endeavored  to  imbue  our  minds  with 
sentiments  of  morality,  and  to  teach  us  to  place  our 
trust  and  confidence  in  Him  who  regards  the  humblest 
as  well  as  the  highest  of  his  creatures.  How  often 
since  that  time  has  the  recollection  of  his  paternal 
counsels  occurred  to  me,  while  lying  in  a  slave  hut  in 
the  distant  and  sickly  regions  of  Louisiana,  smarting 
with  the  undeserved  wounds  wdiich  an  inhuman  mas- 
ter had  inflicted,  and  longing  only  for  the  grave  which 
had  covered  him,  to  shield  me  also  from  the  lash  of 
the  oppressor.  In  the  church-yard  at  Sandy  Hill,  an 
humble  stone  marks  the  spot  where  he  reposes,  after 
having  worthily  performed  the  duties  appertaining  to 
the  lowly  sphere  wherein  God  had  appointed  him  to 
walk. 

Up  to  this  period  I  had  been  principally  engaged 
with  my  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm.  The  leis- 
ure hours  allowed  me  were  generally  either  employed 
over  my  books,  or  playing  on  the  violin  —  an  amuse- 
ment which  was  the  ruling  passion  of  my  youth.  It 
has  also  been  the  source  of  consolation  since,  affording 
pleasure  to  the  simple  beings  with  whom  my  lot  was 
cast,  and  beguiling  my  own  thoughts,  for  many  hours, 
from  the  painful  contemplation  of  my  fate. 

On  Christmas  dav,  1829,  I  was  married  to  Anne 


GOOD   RESOLUTIONS.  21 

Hampton,  a  colored  girl  then  living  in  the  vicinity  of 
onr  residence.  The  ceremony  was  performed  at  Fort 
Edward,  by  Timothy  Eddy,  Esq.,  a  magistrate  of 
that  town,  and  still  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  place. 
She  had  resided  a  long  time  at  Sandy  Hill,  with  Mr. 
Baird,  proprietor  of  the  Eagle  Tavern,  and  also  in  the 
family  of  Rev.  Alexander  Proudfit,  of  Salem.  This 
gentleman  for  many  years  had  presided  over  the  Pres- 
byterian society  at  the  latter  place,  and  was  widely 
distinguished  for  his  learning  and  piety.  Anne 
still  holds  in  grateful  remembrance  the  exceeding 
kindness  and  the  excellent  counsels  of  that  good  man. 
She  is  not  able  to  determine  the  exact  line  of  her  de- 
scent, but  the  blood  of  three  races  mingles  in  her 
veins.  It  is  difficult  to  tell  whether  the  red,  white,  or 
black  predominates.  The  union  of  them  all,  however, 
in  her  origin,  has  given  her  a  singular  but  pleasing 
expression,  such  as  is  rarely  to  be  seen.  Though 
somewhat  resembling,  yet  she  cannot  properly  be 
styled  a  quadroon,  a  class  to  which,  I  have  omitted  to 
mention,  my  mother  belonged. 

I  had  just  now  passed  the  period  of  my  minority, 
having  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  in  the 
month  of  July  previous.  Deprived  of  the  advice  and 
assistance  of  my  father,  with  a  wife  dependent  upon 
me  for  support,  I  resolved  to  enter  upon  a  life  of  in- 
dustry ;  and  notwithstanding  the  obstacle  of  color, 
and  the  consciousness  of  my  lowly  state,  indulged  in 
pleasant  dreams  of  a  good  time  coming,  when  the  pos- 
session of  some  humble  habitation,  with  a  few  sur- 


22  TWELVE   TEAE3   A   SLAVE. 

rounding  acres,  should  reward  my  labors,  and  bring 
me  the  means  of  happiness  and  comfort. 

From  the  time  of  my  marriage  to  this  day  the  love 
I  have  borne  my  wife  has  been  sincere  and  unabated; 
and  only  those  who  have  felt  the  glowing  tenderness 
a  father  cherishes  for  his  offspring,  can  appreciate  my 
affection  for  the  beloved  children  which  have  since 
been  born  to  us.  This  much  I  deem  appropriate  and 
necessary  to  say,  in  order  that  those  who  read  these 
pages,  may  comprehend  the  poignancy  of  those  suf- 
ferings I  have  been  doomed  to  bear. 

Immediately  upon  our  marriage  we  commenced 
house-keeping,  in  the  old  yellow  building  then  stand- 
ing at  the  southern  extremity  of  Fort  Edward  village, 
and  which  has  since  been  transformed  into  a  modern 
mansion,  and  lately  occupied  by  Captain  Lathrop. 
It  is  known  as  the  Fort  ■  House.  In  this  building  the 
courts  were  sometime  held  after  the  organization  of 
the  county.  It  was  also  occupied  by  Burgoyne  in 
1777,  being  situated  near  the  old  Fort  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Hudson. 

During  the  winter  I  was  employed  with  others  re- 
pairing the  Champlain  Canal,  on  that  section  over 
which  "William  Van  Nortwick  was  superintendent. 
David  McEachron  had  the  immediate  charge  of  the 
men  in  whose  company  I  labored.  By  the  time  the 
canal  opened  in  the  spring,  I  was  enabled,  from  the 
savings  of  ,my  wages,  to  purchase  a  pair  of  horses,  and 
other  things  necessarily  required  in  the  business  of 
navigation. 


EXCURSION  TO  CANADA.  23 

Having  hired  several  efficient  hands  to  assist  me,  I 
entered  into  contracts  for  the  transportation  of  large 
rafts  of  timber  from  Lake  Champlain  to  Troy.  Dyer 
Beckwith  and  a  Mr.  Bartemy,  of  Whitehall,  accompa- 
nied me  on  several  trips.  During  the  season  I  be- 
came perfectly  familiar  with  the  art  and  mysteries  of 
rafting — a  knowledge  which  afterwards  enabled  me 
to  render  profitable  service  to  a  worthy  master,  and 
to  astonish  the  simple-witted  lumbermen  on  the  banks 
of  the  Bayou  Bceuf. 

In  one  of  my  voyages  down  Lake  Champlain,  I  was 
induced  to  make  a  visit  to  Canada.  Repairing  to 
Montreal,  I  visited  the  cathedral  and  other  places  of 
interest  in  that  city,  from  whence  I  continued  my  ex- 
cursion to  Kingston  and  other  towns,  obtaining  a 
knowledge  of  localities,  which  was  also  of  service  to 
me  afterwards,  as  will  appear  towards  the  close  of 
this  narrative. 

Having  completed  my  contracts  on  the  canal  satis- 
factorily to  myself  and  to  my  employer,  and  not  wish- 
ing to  remain  idle,  now  that  the  navigation  of  the  ca- 
nal was  again  suspended,  I  entered  into  another  con- 
tract with  Medad  Gunn,  to  cut  a  large  quantity  of 
wood.  In  this  business  I  was  engaged  during  the 
winter  of  1831-32. 

"With  the  return  of  spring,  Anne  and  myself  con- 
ceived the  project  of  taking  a  farm  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. I  had  been  accustomed  from  earliest  youth  to 
agricultural  labors,  and  it  was  an  occupation  conge- 
nial to  my  tastes.     I  accordingly  entered  into  arrange- 


24  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

ment's  for  a  part  of  the  old  Alden  farm,  on  which  my 
father  formerly  resided.  "With  one  cow,  one  swine, 
a  yoke  of  fine  oxen  I  had  lately  purchased  of  Lewis 
Brown,  in  Hartford,  and  other  personal  property  and 
effects,  we  proceeded  to  our  new  home  in  Kingsbury. 
That  year  I  planted  twenty-five  acres  of  corn,  sowed 
large  fields  of  oats,  and  commenced  farming  upon  as 
large  a  scale  as  my  utmost  means  would  permit. 
Anne  was  diligent  about  the  house  affairs,  while  I 
toiled  laboriously  in  the  field. 

On  this  place  we  continued  to  reside  until  1834. 
In  the  winter  season  I  had  numerous  calls  to  play  on 
the  violin.  Wherever  the  young  people  assembled  to 
dance,  I  was  almost  invariably  there.  Throughout 
the  surrounding  villages  my  fiddle  was  notorious. 
Anne,  also,  during  her  long  residence  at  the  Eagle 
Tavern,  had  become  somewhat  famous  as  a  cook. 
During  court  weeks,  and  on  public  occasions,  she  was 
employed  at  high  wages  in  the  kitchen  at  Sherrill's 
Coffee  House. 

"We  always  returned  home  from  the  performance 
of  these  services  with  money  in  our  pockets  ;  so  that, 
with  fiddling,  cooking,  and  farming,  we  soon  found 
ourselves  in  the  possession  of  abundance,  and,  in  fact, 
leading  a  happy  and  prosperous  life.  "Well,  indeed, 
would  it  have  been  for  us  had  we  remained  on  the 
farm  at  Kingsbury ;  but  the  time  came  when  the 
next  step  was  to  be  taken  towards  the  cruel  destiny 
that  awaited  me. 

In  March,  1834,  we  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs. 


REMOVAL   TO    SARATOGA.  25 

We  occupied  a  house  belonging  to  Daniel  O'Brien, 
on  the  north  side  of  Washington  street.  At  that  time 
Isaac  Taylor  kept  a  large  boarding  house,  known  as 
Washington  Hall,  at  the  north  end  of  Broadway.  He 
employed  me  to  drive  a  hack,  in  which  capacity  1 
worked  for  him  two  years.  After  this  time  I  was 
generally  employed  through  the  visiting  season,  as 
also  was  Anne,  in  the  United  States  Hotel,  and  other 
public  houses  of  the  place.  In  winter  seasons  I  re- 
lied upon  my  violin,  though  during  the  construction 
of  the  Troy  and  Saratoga  railroad,  I  performed  many 
hard  days1  labor  upon  it. 

I  was  in  the  habit,  at  Saratoga,  of  purchasing  arti 
cles  necessary  for  my  family  at  the  stores  of  Mr.  Ce 
phas  Parker  and  Mr.  William  Perry,  gentlemen 
towards  whom,  for  many  acts  of  kindness,  I  enter- 
tained feelings  of  strong  regard.  It  was  for  this  rea- 
son that,  twelve  years  afterwards,  I  caused  to  be  di- 
rected to  them  the  letter,  which  is  hereinafter  insert- 
ed, and  which  was  the  means,  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Northup,  of  my  fortunate  deliverance. 

While  living  at  the  United  States  Hotel,  I  frequent- 
ly met  with  slaves,  who  had  accompanied  their  mas- 
ters from  the  South.  They  were  always  well  dressed 
and  well  provided  for,  leading  apparently  an  easy  life, 
with  but  few  of  its  ordinary  troubles  to  perplex  them. 
Many  times  they  entered  into  conversation  with  me 
on  the  subject  of  Slavery.  Almost  uniformly  I  found 
they  cherished  a  secret  desire  for  liberty.  Some  of 
them  expressed  the  most  ardent  anxiety  to  escape,  and 


26  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

consulted  me  on  the  best  method  of  effecting  it.  The 
fear  of  punishment,  however,  which  they  knew  was 
certain  to  attend  their  re-capture  and  return,  in  all 
cases  proved  sufficient  to  deter  them  from  the  exper- 
iment. Having  all  my  life  breathed  the  free  air  of 
the  North,  and  conscious  that  I  possessed  the  same 
feelings  and  affections  that  find  a  place  in  the  white 
man's  breast ;  conscious,  moreover,  of  an  intelligence 
equal  to  that  of  some  men,  at  least,  with  a  fairer  skin, 
I  was  too  ignorant,  perhaps  too  independent,  to  con- 
ceive how  any  one  could  be  content  to  live  in  the  ab- 
ject condition  of  a  slave.  I  could  not  comprehend  the 
justice  of  that  law,  or  that  religion,  which  upholds  or 
recognizes  the  principle  of  Slavery ;  and  never  once, 
I  am  proud  to  say,  did  I  fail  to  counsel  any  one  who 
came  to  me,  to  watch  his  opportunity,  and  strike  for 
freedom. 

I  continued  to  reside  at  Saratoga  until  the  spring  of 
1841.  The  flattering  anticipations  which,  seven  years 
before,  had  seduced  us  from  the  quiet  farm-house,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  had  not  been  realized. 
Though  always  in  comfortable  circumstances,  we 
had  not  prospered.  The  society  and  associations  at  that 
world-renowned  watering  place,  were  not  calculated 
to  preserve  the  simple  habits  of  industry  and  economy 
to  which  I  had  been  accustomed,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
to  substitute  others  in  their  stead,  tending  to  shift- 
lessness  and  extravagance. 

At  this  time  we  were  the  parents  of  three  children 
—  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  and  Alonzo.     Elizabeth,  the 


H01IE   AXD   ITS    PLEASURES.  27 

eldest,  was  in  her  tenth,  year;  Margaret  was  two 
years  younger,  and  little  Alonzo  had  just  passed  his 
fifth  birth-day.  They  filled  onr  house  with  gladness. 
Their  young  voices  were  music  in  our  ears.  Many  an 
airy  castle  did  their  mother  and  myself  build  for  the 
little  innocents.  When  not  at  labor  I  was  always 
walking  with  them,  clad  in  their  best  attire,  through 
the  streets  and  groves  of  Saratoga.  Their  presence 
was  my  delight ;  and  I  clasped  them  to  my  bosom 
with  as  warm  and  tender  love  as  if  their  clouded  skins 
had  been  as  white  as  snow. 

Thus  far  the  history  of  my  life  presents  nothing 
whatever  unusual  —  nothing  but  the  common  hopes, 
and  loves,  and  labors  of  an  obscure  colored  man,  ma- 
king his  humble  progress  in  the  world.  But  now  I 
had  reached  a  turning  point  in  my  existence  —  reach- 
ed the  threshold  of  unutterable  wrong,  and  sorrow, 
and  despair.  Kow  had  I  approached  within  the  shad- 
ow of  the  cloud,  into  the  thick  darkness  whereof  I  was 
soon  to  disappear,  thenceforward  to  be  hidden  from 
the  eyes  of  all  my  kindred,  and  shut  out  from  the 
sweet  light  of  liberty,  for  many  a  weary  year. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE   TWO     STRANGERS THE    CIRCUS     COMPANY DEPARTURE    FROM    SARA- 
TOGA  VENTRILOQUISM    AND  LEGERDEMAIN JOURNEY  TO  NEW-YORK 

FREE    PAPERS BROWN     AND     HAMILTON THE     HASTE     TO    REACH    THE 

CIRCUS ARRIVAL  IN  WASHINGTON FUNERAL  OF  HARRISON TOE  SUD- 
DEN SICKNESS THE  TORMENT  OF  THIRST THE  RECEDING  LIGHT IN- 
SENSIBILITY  CHAINS    AND    DARKNESS. 

One  morning,  towards  the  latter  part  of  the  month 
of  March,  18-11,  having  at  that  time  no  particular 
business  to  engage  my  attention,  I  was  walking  about 
the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs,  thinking  to  myself 
where  I  might  obtain  some  present  employment,  un- 
til the  busy  season  should  arrive.  Anne,  as  was  her 
usual  custom,  had  gone  over  to  Sandy  Hill,  a  dis- 
tance of  some  twenty  miles,  to  take  charge  of  the  cu- 
linary department  at  Sherrill's  Coffee  House,  during 
the  session  of  the  court.  Elizabeth,  I  think,  had  ac- 
companied her.  Margaret  and  Alonzo  were  with 
their  aunt  at  Saratoga. 

On  the  corner  of  Congress  street  and  Broadway, 
near  the  tavern,  then,  and  for  aught  I  know  to  the 
contrary,  still  kept  by  Mr.  Moon,  I  was  met  by  two 
gentlemen  of  respectable  appearance,  both  of  whom 
were  entirely  unknown  to  me.     I  have  the  impres- 


THE   TWO    STRA^GEKS.  29 


sioii  that  they  were  introduced  to  me  by  some  one  of 
my  acquaintances,  but  who,  I  hare  in  vain  endeavor- 
ed to  recall,  .with  the  remark  that  I  was  an  expert 
player  on  the  violin,  ' 

At  any  rate,  they  immediately  entered  into  conver- 
sation on  that  subject,  making  numerous  inquiries 
touching  my  proficiency  in  that  respect.  My  respon- 
ses being  to  alL  appearances  satisfactory,  they  propos- 
ed to  engage  my  services  for  a  short  period,  stating, 
at  the  same  time,  I  was  just  such  a  person  as  their 
business  required.  Their  names,  as  they  afterwards 
gave  them  to  me,  were  Merrill  Brown  and  Abram 
Hamilton,  though  whether  these  were  their  true  ap- 
pellations, I  have  strong  reasons  to  doubt.  -The  for- 
mer was  a  man  apparently  forty  years  of  age,  some- 
what short  and  thick-set,  with  a  countenance  indica- 
ting shrewdness  and  intelligence.  Tie  wore'  a  black 
frock  coat  and  black  hat,  and  said  he  resided  either  at 
Rochester  or  at  Syracuse.  The  latter  was  a  young 
man  of  fair  complexion  and  light  eyes,  and,  I  should 
judge,  had  not  passed  the  age  of  twenty -five.  He 
was  tall  and  slender,  dressed  in  a  snuff-colored  coat, 
with  glossy  hat,  and  vest  of  elegant  pattern.  His 
whole  apparel  was  in  the  extreme  of  fashion.  His 
appearance  was  somewhat  effeminate,  but  prepossess- 
ing, and  there  was  about  him  an  easy  air,  that  showed 
he  had  mingled  with  the  world.  They  were  connect- 
ed, as  they  informed  me,  with  a  circus  company,  then 
in  the  city  of  Washington  ;    that  they  were  on  their 


30  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

way  thither  to  rejoin  it,  having  left  it  for  a  short  time 
to  make  an  excursion  northward,  for  the  purpose  of 
seeing  the  country,  and  were  paying  their  expenses 
by  an  occasional  exhibition.  They  also  remarked 
that  they  had  found  much  difficulty  in  procuring  mu- 
sic for  their  entertainments,  and  that  if  I  would  ac- 
company them  as  far  as  New- York,  they  would  give 
me  one  dollar  for  each  day's  services,  and  three  dol- 
lars in  addition  for  every  night  I  played  at  their  per- 
formances, besides  sufficient  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
my  return  from  ISTew-York  to  Saratoga. 

I  at  once  accepted  the  tempting  offer,  both  for  the 
reward  it  promised,  and  from  a  desire  to  visit  the 
metropolis.  They  were  anxious  to  leave  immediately. 
Thinking  my  absence  would  be  brief,  I  did  not  deem 
it  necessary  to  write  to  Anne  whither  I  had  gone ; 
in  fact  supposing  that  my  return,  perhaps,  would  be 
as  soon  as  hers.  So  taking  a  change  of  linen  and  my 
violin,  I  was  ready  to  depart.  The  carriage  was 
brought  round  —  a  covered  one,  drawn  by  a  pair  of 
noble  bays,  altogether  forming  an  elegant  establish- 
ment. Their  baggage,  consisting  of  three  large 
trunks,  was  fastened  on  the  rack,  and  mounting  to 
the  driver's  seat,  while  they  took  their  places  in  the 
rear,  I  drove  away  from  Saratoga  on  the  road  to 
Albany,  elated  with  my  new  position,  and  happy  as 
I  had  ever  been,  on  any  day  in  alt  my  life. 

We  passed  through  Ballston,  and  striking  the  ridge 
road,  as  it  is  called,  if  my  memory  correctly  serves 


VENTRILOQUISM   AND   LEGERDEMAIN.  31 

me,  followed  it  direct  to  Albany.  "We  reached  that 
city  before  dark,  and  stopped  at  a  hotel  southward 
from  the  Museum. 

This  night  I  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  one 
of  their  performances  —  the  only  one,  during  the  whole 
period  I  was  with  them.  Hamilton  was  stationed  at 
the  door  ;  I  formed  the  orchestra,  while  Brown  pro- 
vided the  entertainment.  It  consisted  in  throwing 
balls,  dancing  on  the  rope,  frying  pancakes  in  a  hat, 
causing  invisible  pigs  to  squeal,  and  other  like  feats 
of  ventriloquism  and  legerdemain.  The  audience 
was  extraordinarily  sparse,  and  not  of  the  selectest 
character  at  that,  and  Hamilton's  report  of  the  pro- 
ceeds presented  but  a  "  beggarly  account  of  empty 
boxes." 

Early  next  morning  we  renewed  our  journey.  The 
burden  of  their  conversation  now  was  the  expression 
of  an  anxiety  to  reach  the  circus  without  delay. 
They  hurried  forward,  without  again  stopping  to  ex- 
hibit, and  in  due  course  of  time,  we  reached  Xew- 
York,  taking  lodgings  at  a  house  on  the  west  side  of 
the  city,  in  a  street  running  from  Broadway  to  the 
river.  I  supposed  my  journey  was  at  an  end,  and 
expected  in  a  day  or  two  at  least,  to  return  to  my 
friends  and  family  at  Saratoga.  Brown  and  Hamil- 
ton, however,  began  to  importune  me  to  continue  with 
them  to  Washington.  They  alleged  that  immediately 
on  their  arrival,  now  that  the  summer  season  was  ap- 
proaching, the  circus  would  set  out  for  the  north. 
They  promised  me  a  situation  and  high  wages  if  I 


32  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

would  accompany  them.  Largely  did  they  expatiate 
on  the  advantages  that  would  result  to  me,  and  such 
were  the  flattering  representations  they  made,  that  I 
finally  concluded  to  accept  the  offer. 

The  next  morning  they  suggested  that,  inasmuch 
as  we  were  about  entering  a  slave  State,  it  would  be 
well,  before  leaving  New- York,  to  procure  free  pa- 
pers. The  idea  struck  me  as  a  prudent  one,  though  I 
think  it  would  scarcely  have  occurred  to  me,  had  they 
not  proposed  it.  We  proceeded  at  once  to  what  I  un- 
derstood to  be  the  Custom  House.  They  made  oath  to 
certain  facts  showing  I  was  a  free  man.  A  paper  was 
drawn  up  and  handed  us,  with  the  direction  to  take  it 
to  the  clerk's  office.  We  did  so,  and  the  clerk  having 
added  something  to  it,  for  which  he  was  paid  six  shil- 
lings, we  returned  again  to  the  Custom  House.  Some 
further  formalities  were  gone  through  with  before  it 
was  completed,  when,  paying  the  officer  two  dollars, 
I  placed  the  papers  in  my  pocket,  and  started  with 
my  two  friends  to  our  hotel.  I  thought  at  the  time, 
I  must  confess,  that  the  papers  were  scarcely  worth  the 
cost  of  obtaining  them — the  apprehension  of  danger 
to  my  personal  safety  never  having  suggested  itself 
to  me  in  the  remotest  manner.  .  The  clerk,  to  whom 
we  were  directed,  I  remember,  made  a  memorandum 
in  a  large  book,  which,  I  presume,  is  in  the  office 
yet.  A  reference  to  the  entries  during  the  latter  part 
of  March,  or  first  of  April,  1841,  I  have  no  doubt 
will  satisfy  the  incredulous,  at  least  so  far  as  this  par- 
ticular transaction  is  concerned. 


ARRIVAL   AT   WASHINGTON.  33 

"With  the  evidence  of  freedom  in  my  possession,  the 
next  day  after  onr  arrival  in  New- York,  we  crossed 
the  ferry  to  Jersey  City,  and  took  the  road  to  Phila- 
delphia. Here  we  remained  one  night,  continuing 
our  journey  towards  Baltimore  early  in  the  morning. 
In  due  time,  we  arrived  in  the  latter  city,  and  stopped 
at  a  hotel  near  the  railroad  depot,  either  kept  by  a 
Mr.  Rathbone,  or  known  as  the  Rathbone  House. 
All  the  way  from  New- York,  their  anxiety  to  reach 
the  circus  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  intense. 
"We  left  the  carriage  at  Baltimore,  and  entering  the 
cars,  proceeded  to  "Washington,  at  which  place  we 
arrived  just  at  nightfall,  the  evening  previous  to  the 
funeral  of  General  Harrison,  and  stopped  at  Gadsby's 
Hotel,  on  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 

After  supper  they  called  me  to  their  apartments, 
and  paid  me  forty-three  dollars,  a  sum  greater  than 
my  wages  amounted  to,  which  act  of  generosity  was 
in  consequence,  they  said,  of  their  not  having  exhib- 
ited as  often  as  they  had  given  me  to  anticipate,  du- 
ring our  trip  from  Saratoga.  They  moreover  inform- 
ed me  that  it  had  been  the  intention  of  the  circus 
company  to  leave  Washington  the  next  morning,  but 
that  on  account  of  the  funeral,  they  had  concluded  to 
remain  another  day.  They  were  then,  as  they  had  been 
from  the  time  of  our  first  meeting,  extremely  kind. 
No  opportunity  was  omitted  of  addressing  me  in  the 
language  of  approbation  ;    while,  on  the  other  hand, 

I  was  certainly  much  prepossessed  in  their  favor.     I 
B*  "  3 


34  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLATE. 

gave  them  my  confidence  without  reserve,  and  would 
freely  have  trusted  them  to  almost  any  extent,  Their 
constant  conversation  and  manner  towards  me  —  their 
foresight  in  suggesting  the  idea  of  free  papers,  and  a 
hundred  other  little  acts,  unnecessary  to  be  repeated — ■ 
all  indicated  that  they  were  friends  indeed,  sincerely 
solicitous  for  my  welfare.  I  know  not  but  they  were. 
I  know  not  but  they  were  innocent  of  the  great  wick- 
edness of  which  I  now  believe  them  guilty.  Whether 
they  were  accessory  to  my  misfortunes  —  subtle  and 
inhuman  monsters  in  the  shape  of  men  —  designedly 
luring  me  away  from  home  and  family,  and  liberty, 
for  the  sake  of  gold  —  those  who  read  these  pages 
will  have  the  same  means  of  determining  as  myself. 
If  they  were  innocent,  my  sudden  disappearance 
must  have  been  unaccountable  indeed ;  but  revolv- 
ing in  my  mind  all  the  attending  circumstances,  I 
never  yet  could  indulge,  towards  them,  so  charitable 
a  supposition. 

After  receiving  the  money  from  them,  of  which 
they  appeared  to  have  an  abundance,  they  advised 
me  not  to  go  into  the  streets  that  night,  inasmuch 
as  I  was  unacquainted  with  the  customs  of  the  city. 
Promising  to  remember  their  advice,  I  left  them  to- 
gether, and  soon  after  was  shown  by  a  colored  ser- 
vant to  a  sleeping  room  in  the  back  part  of  the  hotel, 
on  the  ground  floor.  I  laid  down  to  rest,  thinking  of 
home  and  wife,  and  children,  and  the  long  distance 
that  stretched  between  us,  until  I  fell  asleep.     But 


FUNERAL   OF   HARBISON.  35 

no  good  angel  of  pity  came  to  my  bedside,  bidding 
me  to  fly  —  no  voice  of  mercy  forewarned  me  in  my 
dreams  of  the  trials  that  were  just  at  hand. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  great  pageant  in  Wash- 
ington. The  roar  of  cannon  and  the  tolling  of  bells 
filled  the  air,  while  many  houses  were  shrouded  with 
crape,  and  the  streets  were  black  with  people.  As 
the  day  advanced,  the  procession  made  its  appear- 
ance, coming  slowly  through  the  Avenue,  carriage 
after  carriage,  in  long  succession,  while  thousands 
upon  thousands  followed  on  foot  —  all  moving  to  the 
sound  of  melancholy  music.  They  were  bearing  the 
dead  body  of  Harrison  to  the  grave. 

From  early  in  the  morning,  I  was  constantly  in  the 
company  of  Hamilton  and  Bi'own.  They  were  the 
only  persons  I  knew  in  Washington.  We  stood  to- 
gether as  the  funeral  pomp  passed  by.  I  remember 
distinctly  how  the  window  glass  would  break  and 
rattle  to  the  ground,  after  each  report  of  the  cannon 
they  were  firing  in  the  burial  ground.  We  went  to  the 
Capitol,  and  walked  a  long  time  about  the  grounds. 
In  the  afternoon,  they  strolled  towards  the  Presi- 
dent's House,  all  the  time  keeping  me  near  to  them, 
and  pointing  out  various  places  of  interest.  As  yet, 
I  had  seen  nothing  of  the  circus.  In  fact,  I  had 
thought  of  it  but  little,  if  at  all,  amidst  the  excite- 
ment of  the  day. 

My  friends,  several  times  during  the  afternoon,  en- 
tered drinking  saloons,  and  called  for  liquor.  They 
were  by  no  means  in  the  habit,  however,  so  far  as  I 


36  TWELVE   YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

knew  them,  of  indulging  to  excess.  On  these  occa- 
sions, after  serving  themselves,  they  would  pour  out 
a  glass  and  hand  it  to  me.  I  did  not  become  intoxi- 
cated, as  may  be  inferred  from  what  subsequently 
occurred.  Towards  evening,  and  soon  after  parta- 
king of  one  of  these  potations,  I  began  to  experience 
most  unpleasant  sensations.  I  felt  extremely  ill.  My 
head  commenced  aching  —  a  dull,  heavy  pain,  inex- 
pressibly disagreeable.  At  the  supper  table,  I  was 
without  appetite  ;  the  sight  and  flavor  of  food  was 
nauseous.  About  dark  the  same  servant  conducted 
me  to  the  room  I  had  occupied  the  previous  night. 
Brown  and  Hamilton  advised  me  to  retire,  commise- 
rating me  kindly,  and  expressing  hopes  that  I  would  be 
better  in  the  morning.  Divesting  myself  of  coat  and 
boots  merely,  I  threw  myself  upon  the  bed.  It  was 
impossible  to  sleep.  The  pain  in  my  head  continued 
to  increase,  until  it  became  almost  unbearable.  In  a 
short  time  I  became  thirsty.  My  lips  were  parched. 
I  could  think  of  nothing  but  water  —  of  lakes  and 
flowing  rivers,  of  brooks  where  I  had  stooped  to 
drink,  and  of  the  dripping  bucket,  rising  with  its  cool 
and  overflowing  nectar,  from  the  bottom  of  the  well. 
Towards  midnight,  as  near  as  I  could  judge,  I  arose, 
unable  longer  to  bear  such  intensity  of  thirst.  I 
was  a  stranger  in  the  house,  and  knew  nothing  of  its 
apartments.  There  was  no  one  up,  as  I  could  observe. 
Groping  about  at  random,  I  knew  not  where,  I  found 
the  way  at  last  to  a  kitchen  in  the  basement.  Two 
or  three  colored  servants  were  mo  vino;  through  it,  one 


THE   TORMENT   OF  THIRST.  37 

of  whom,  a  woman,  gave  me  two  glasses  of  water. 
It  afforded  momentary  relief,  but  by  the  time  I  had 
reached  my  room  again,  the  same  burning  desire  of 
drink,  the  same  tormenting  thirst,  had  again  returned. 
It  was  even  more  torturing  than  before,  as  was  also 
the  wild  pain  in  my  head,  if  such  a  thing  could  be. 
I  was  in  sore  distress  —  in  most  excruciating  agony  ! 
I  seemed  to  stand  on  the  brink  of  madness  !  The 
memory  of  that  night  of  horrible  suffering  will  fol- 
low me  to  the  grave. 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  or  more  after  my  return 
from  the  kitchen,  I  was  conscious  of  some  one  enter- 
ing my  room.  There  seemed  to  be  several  —  a  ming- 
ling of  various  voices, — but  how  many,  or  who 
they  were,  I  cannot  tell.  Whether  Brown  and  Hamil- 
ton were  among  them,  is  a  mere  matter  of  conjecture. 
I  only  remember,  with  any  degree  of  distinctness, 
that'  I  was  told  it  was  necessary  to  go  to  a  physician 
and  procure  medicine,  and  that  pulling  on  my  boots, 
without  coat  or  hat,  I  followed  them  through  a  long 
passage-way,  or  alley,  into  the  open  street.  It  ran 
out  at  right  angles  from  Pennsylvania  Avenue.  On 
the  opposite  side  there  was  alight  burning  in  a  win- 
dow. My  impression  is  there  were  then  three  per- 
sons with  me,  but  it  is  altogether  indefinite  and 
vague,  and  like  the  memory  of  a  painful  dream. 
Going  towards  the  light,  which  I  imagined  proceed- 
ed from  a  physician's  office,  and  which  seemed  to  re- 
cede as  I  advanced,  is  the  last  glimmering  recollec- 
tion I  can   now   recall.     From  that   moment  I  was 


38  TWELVE    TEARS   A    SLAVE. 

insensible.  How  long  I  remained  in  that  condition  — 
whether  only  that  night,  or  many  days  and  nights — ■ 
I  do  not  know ;  but  when  consciousness  returned,  I 
found  myself  alone,  in  utter  darkness,  and  in  chains. 
The  pain  in  my  head  had  subsided  in  a  measure, 
but  I  was -very  faint  and  weak.  I  was  sitting  upon  a 
low  bench,  made  of  rough  boards,  and  without  coat 
or  hat.  I  was  hand-cuffed.  Around  my  ankles  also 
were  a  pair  of  heavy  fetters.  One  end  of  a  chain  was 
fastened  to  a  large  ring  in  the  floor,  the  other  to  the 
fetters  on  my  ankles.  I  tried  in  vain  to  stand  upon 
my  feet.  Waking  from  such  a  painful  trance,  it 
was  some  time  before  I  could  collect  my  thoughts. 
Where  was  I?  What  was  the  meaning  of  these 
chains  ?  Where  were  Brown  and  Hamilton  ?  What 
had  I  done  to  deserve  imprisonment  in  such  a  dun- 
geon ?  I  could  not  comprehend.  There  was  a  blank 
of  some  indefinite  period,  preceding  my  awakening 
in  that  lonely  place,  the  events  of  which  the  utmost 
stretch  of  memory  was  unable  to  recall.  I  listened 
intently  for  some  sign  or  sound  of  life,  but  nothing 
broke  the  oppressive  silence,  save  the  clinking  of  my 
chains,  whenever  I  chanced  to  move.  I  spoke  aloud, 
but  the  sound  of  my  voice  startled  me.  I  felt  of  my 
pockets,  so  far  as  the  fetters  would  allow  —  far  enough, 
indeed,  to  ascertain  that  I  had  not  only  been  robbed 
of  liberty,  but  that  my  money  and  free  papers  were 
also  gone  !  Then  did  the  idea  begin  to  break  upon 
my  mind,  at  first  dim  and  confused,  that  I  had  been 
kidnapped.     But    that    I    thought    was  incredible. 


CHAINS  AiS'D   DARKNESS.  39 

There  must  have  been  some  misapprehension  —  some 
unfortunate  mistake.  It  could  not  be  that  a  free 
citizen  of  Xew-York,  who  had  wronged  no  man,  nor 
violated  any  law,  should  be  dealt  with  thus  inhumanly. 
The  more  I  contemplated  my  situation,  however,  the 
more  I  became  confirmed  in  my  suspicions.  It  was  a 
desolate  thought,  indeed.  I  felt  there  was  no  trust  or 
mercy  in  unfeeling  man  ;  and  commending  myself  to 
the  Grod  of  the  oppressed,  bowed  my  head  upon  my 
fettered  hands,  and  wept  most  bitterly. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PAINFUL     MEDITATIONS JAMES     H.     BUKCH — WILLIAMS'    SLAVE     PEN     IN 

WASHINGTON THE     LACKEY,     RADEURN ASSERT     MY    FREEDOM THE 

ANGER   OF     THE     TRADER THE     PADDLE     AND     CAT-o'-NINETAILS THE 

WHIPPING XP?      ACQUAINTANCES RAY,    WILLIAMS,    AND    RANDALL — ■ 

ARRIVAL   OF   LITTLE    EMILY    AND    HER   MOTHER   IN    THE  PEN MATERNAL 

SORROWS THE   STORY    OF    ELIZA. 

Some  three  hours  elapsed,  during  which  time  I  re- 
mained seated  on  the  low  bench,  absorbed  in  painful 
meditations.  At  length  I  heard  the  crowing  of  a 
cock,  and  soon  a  distant  rumbling  sound,  as  of  car- 
riages hurrying  through  the  streets,  came  to  my  ears, 
and  I  knew  that  it  was  day.  No  ray  of  light,  how- 
ever, penetrated  my  prison.  Finally,  I  heard  foot- 
steps immediately  overhead,  as  of  some  one  walking 
to  and  fro.  It  occurred  to  me  then  that  I  must  be 
in  an  underground  apartment,  and  the  damp,  mouldy 
odors  of  the  place  confirmed  the  supposition.  The 
noise  above  continued  for  at  least  an  hour,  when, 
at  last,  1  heard  footsteps  approaching  from  without. 
A  key  rattled  in  the  lock  —  a  strong  door  swung  back 
upon  its  hinges,  admitting  a  flood  of  light,  and  two 
men  entered  and  stood  before  me.  One  of  them  was 
a  large,  powerful  man,  forty  years  of  age,  perhaps, 


BUECH,  THE   SLAVE   DEALEK.  41 

with  dark,  cliestimt-colored  hair,  slightly  interspersed 
with  gray.  His  face  was  full,  his  complexion  flush, 
his  features  grossly  coarse,  expressive  of  nothing  but 
cruelty  and  cunning.  He  was  about  five  feet  ten 
inches  high,  of  full  habit,  and,  without  prejudice,  I 
must  be  allowed  to  say,  was  a  man  whose  whole  ap- 
pearance was  sinister  and  repugnant.  His  name  was 
James  H.  Burch,  as  I  learned  afterwards — a  well- 
known  slave-dealer  in  Washington  ;  and  then,  or  late- 
ly, connected  in  business,  as  a  partner,  with  Theophi- 
lus  Freeman,  of  ISTew- Orleans.  The  person  who 
accompanied  him  was  a  simple  lackey,  named  Ebe- 
nezer  Radburn,  who  acted  merely  in  the  capacity  of 
turnkey.  Both  of  these  men  still  live  in  "Washington, 
or  did,  at  the  time  of  my  return  through  that  city 
from  slavery  in  January  last. 

The  light  admitted  through  the  open  door  enabled 
me  to  observe  the  room  in  which  I  was  confined.  It 
was  about  twelve  feet  square  —  the  walls  of  solid  ma- 
sonry. The  floor  was  of  heavy  plank.  There  was 
one  small  window,  crossed  with  great  iron  bars,  with 
an  outside  shutter,  securely  fastened. 

An  iron-bound  door  led  into  an  adjoining  cell,  or 
vault,  wholly  destitute  of  windows,  or  any  means  of 
admitting  light.  The  furniture  of  the  room  in  which 
I  was,  consisted  of  the  wooden  bench  on  which  I  sat, 
an  old-fashioned,  dirty  box  stove,  and  besides  these, 
in  either  cell,  there  was  neither  bed,  nor  blanket,  nor 
any  other  thing  whatever.     The  door,  through  which 


42  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

Burcli  and  Radburn  entered,  led  tlirougli  a  small 
passage,  up  a  flight  of  steps  into  a  yard,  surrounded 
by  a  brick  wall  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  immediately 
in  rear  of  a  building  of  tlie  same  width  as  itself. 
The  yard  extended  rearward  from  the  house  about 
thirty  feet.  In  one  part  of  the  wall  there  was  a 
strongly  ironed  door,  opening  into  a  narrow,  covered 
passage,  leading  along  one  side  of  the  house  into  the 
street.  The  doom  of  the  colored  man,  upon  whom 
the  door  leading  out  of  that  narrow  passage  closed, 
was  sealed.  The  top  of  the  wall  supported  one  end 
of  a  roof,  which  ascended  inwards,  forming  a  kind  of 
open  shed.  Underneath  the  roof  there  was  a  crazy 
loft  all  round,  where  slaves,  if  so  disposed,  might 
sleep  at  night,  or  in  inclement  weather  seek  shelter 
from  the  storm.  It  was  like  a  farmer's  barnyard  in 
most  respects,  save  it  was  so  constructed  that  the  out- 
side world  could  never  see  the  human  cattle  that  were 
herded  there. 

The  building  to  which  the  yard  was  attached,  was 
two  stories  high,  fronting  on  one  of  the  public  streets 
of  Washington.  Its  outside  presented  only  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  quiet  private  residence.  A  stranger 
looking  at  it,  would  never  have  dreamed  of  its  exe- 
crable uses.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  within  plain 
sight  of  this  same  house,  looking  down  from  its  com- 
manding height  upon  it,  was  the  Capitol.  The  voices 
of  patriotic  representatives  boasting  of  freedom  and 
equality,  and  the  rattling  of  the  poor  slave's  chains, 


ASSERT   MY   FREEDOM.  43 

almost  commingled.     A  slave  pen  within  the  verv 
shadow  of  the    Capitol ! 

Such  is  a  correct  description  as  it  was  in  1841,  of 
Williams'  slave  pen  in  Washington,  in  one  of  the  eel 
lars  of  which  I  found  myself  so  unaccountably  con- 
fined. 

"  Well,  my  boy,  how  do  you  feel  now  ?"  said 
Burch,  as  he  entered  through  the  open  door.  I  re- 
plied that  I  was  sick,  and  inquired  the  cause  of  my 
imprisonment.  He  answered  that  I  was  his  slave  — 
that  he  had  bought  me,  and  that  he  was  about  to  send 
me  to  New-Orleans.  I  asserted,  aloud  and  boldly, 
that  I  was  a  free  man  —  a  resident  of  Saratoga,  where 
I  had  a  wife  and  children,  who  were  also  free,  and 
that  my  name  was  Northup.  I  complained  bitterly 
of  the  strange  treatment  I  had  received,  and  threat- 
ened, upon  my  liberation,  to  have  satisfaction  for  the 
wrong.  He  denied  that  I  was  free,  and  with  an  em- 
phatic oath,  declared  that  I  came  from  Georgia. 
Again  and  again  I  asserted  I  was  no  man's  slave,  and 
insisted  upon  his  taking  off  my  chains  at  once.  He 
endeavored  to  hush  me,  as  if  he  feared  my  voice 
would  be  overheard.  But  I  would  not  be  silent,  and 
denounced  the  authors  of  my  imprisonment,  whoever 
they  might  be,  as  unmitigated  villains.  Finding  he 
could  not  quiet  me,  he  flew  into  a  towering  passion. 
With  blasphemous  oaths,  he  called  me  a  black  liar,  a 
runaway  from  Georgia,  and  every  other  profane  and 


4A:  TWELVE   TEAKS   A    SLAVE. 

vulgar  epithet  that  the  most  indecent  fancy  could 
conceive. 

During  this  time  Badburn  was  standing  silently 
by.  His  business  was,  to  oversee  this  human,  or 
rather  inhuman  stable,  receiving  slaves,  feeding  and 
whipping  them,  at  the  rate  of  two  shillings  a  head 
per  day.  Turning  to  him,  Burch  ordered  the  paddle 
and  cat-o'-ninetails  to  be  brought  in.  He  disappear- 
ed, and  in  a  few  moments  returned  with  these  in- 
struments of  torture.  The  paddle,  as  it  is  termed  in 
slave-beating  parlance,  or  at  least  the  one  with  which  I 
first  became  acquainted,  and  of  which  I  now  speak,  was 
a  piece  of  hard-wood  board,  eighteen  or  twenty  inches 
long,  moulded  to  the  shape  of  an  old-fashioned  pudding 
stick,  or  ordinary  oar.  The  flattened  portion,  which 
was  about  the  size  in  circumference  of  two  open 
hands,  was  bored  with  a  small  auger  in  numerous 
places.  The  cat  was  a  large  rope  of  many  strands  — 
the  strands  unraveled,  and  a  knot  tied  at  the  extrem- 
ity of  each. 

As  soon  as  these  formidable  whips  appeared,  I  was 
seized  by  both  of  them,  and  roughly  divested  of  my 
clothing.  My  feet,  as  has  been  stated,  were  fastened 
to  the  floor.  Drawing  me  over  the  bench,  face  down- 
wards, Badburn  placed  his  heavy  foot  upon  the  fet- 
ters, between  my  wrists,  holding  them  painfully  to  the 
floor.  With  the  paddle,  Burch  commenced  beating 
me.  Blow  after  blow  was  inflicted  upon  my  naked 
body.     When  his   unrelenting  arm  grew  tired,  he 


SCENE    IN    THE    SLAVE    PEN    AT    WASHINGTON. 


THE   WHIPPING.  45 

stopped  and  asked  if  I  still  insisted  I  was  a  free  man. 
I  did  insist  upon  it,  and  then  the  blows  were  renewed, 
faster  and  more  energetically,  if  possible,  than  before. 
"When  again  tired,  he  would  repeat  the  same  question, 
and  receiving  the  same  answer,  continue  his  cruel 
labor.  All  this  time,  the  incarnate  devil  was  utter- 
ing most  fiendish  oaths.  At  length  the  paddle  broke, 
leaving;  the  useless  handle  in  his  hand.  Still  I  would 
not  yield.  All  his  brutal  blows  could  not  force  from 
my  lips  the  foul  lie  that  I  was  a  slave.  Casting  mad- 
ly on  the  floor  the  handle  of  the  broken  paddle,  he 
seized  the  rope.  This  was  far  more  painful  than  the 
other.  I  struggled  with  all  my  power,  but  it  was  in 
vain.  I  prayed  for  mercy,  but  my  prayer  was  only 
answered  with  imprecations  and  with  stripes.  I 
thought  I  must  die  beneath  the  lashes  of  the  accursed 
brute.  Even  now  the  flesh  crawls  upon  my  bones,  as 
I  recall  the  scene.  I  was  all  on  fire.  My  sufferings 
I  can  compare  to  nothing  else  than  the  burning  ago- 
nies  of  hell ! 

At  last  I  became  silent  to  his  repeated  questions. 
I  would  make  no  reply.  In  fact,  I  was  becoming  al- 
most unable  to  speak.  Still  he  plied  the  lash  without 
stint  upon  my  poor  body,  until  it  seemed  that  the 
lacerated  flesh  was  stripped  from  my  bones  at  every 
stroke.  A  man  with  a  particle  of  mercy  in  his  soul 
would  not  have  beaten  even  a  dog  so  cruelly.  At 
length  Ivadbum  said  that  it  was  useless  to  whip 
me  any  more — that  I  would  be  sore  enough.  There- 
upon, Burch   desisted,   saying,  with   an   admonitory 


4cQ  TWELVE  TEAES   A   SLAVE. 

shake  of  his  fist  in  my  face,  and  hissing  the  words 
through  his  firm-set  teeth,  that  if  ever  I  dared  to 
utter  again  that  I  was  entitled  to  my  freedom,  that  I 
had  been  kidnapped,  or  any  thing  whatever  of  the 
kind,  the  castigation  I  had  just  received  was  nothing 
in  comparison  with  what  would  follow.  He  swore 
that  he  would  either  conquer  or  kill  me.  "With  these 
consolatory  words,  the  fetters  were  taken  from  my 
wrists,  my  feet  still  remaining  fastened  to  the  ring ; 
the  shutter  of  the  little  barred  window,  which  had 
been  opened,  was  again  closed,  and  going  out,  lock- 
ing the  great  door  behind  them,  I  was  left  in  dark- 
ness as  before. 

In  an  hour,  perhaps  two,  my  heart  leaped  to  my 
throat,  as  the  key  rattled  in  the  door  again.  I,  who 
had  been  so  lonely,  and  who  had  longed  so  ar- 
dently to  see  some  one,  I  cared  not  who,  now  shud- 
dered at  the  thought  of  man's  approach.  A  human 
face  was  fearful  to  me,  especially  a  white  one.  Rad- 
burn  entered,  bringing  with  him,  on  a  tin  plate,  a 
piece  of  shriveled  fried  pork,  a  slice  of  bread  and  a 
cup  of  water.  He  asked  me  how  I  felt,  and  remark- 
ed that  I  had  received  a  pretty  severe  flogging.  He 
remonstrated  with  me  against  the  propriety  of  as- 
serting my  freedom.  In  rather  a  patronizing  and 
confidential  manner,  he  gave  it  to  me  as  his  advice, 
that  the  less  I  said  on  that  subject  the  better  it  would 
be  for  me.  The  man  evidently  endeavored  to  appear 
kind  —  whether  touched  at  the.sight  of  my  sad  condi- 
tion, or  with  the  view  of  silencing,  on  my  part,  any 


THE   WHIPPING.  47 

furtlier  expression  of  my  rights,  it  is  not  necessary 
now  to  conjecture.  He  unlocked  the  fetters  from  my 
ankles,  opened  the  shutters  of  the  little  window,  and 
departed,  leaving  me  again  alone. 

By  this  time  I  had  become  stiff  and  sore  ;  my 
"body  was  covered  with  blisters,  and  it  was  with  great 
pain  and  difficulty  that  I  could  move.  From  the 
window  I  could  observe  nothing  but  the  roof  resting 
on  the  adjacent  wall.  At  night  I  laid  down  upon  the 
damp,  hard  floor,  without  any  pillow  or  covering 
whatever.  Punctually,  twice  a  day,  Eadburn  came 
in,  with  his  pork,  and  bread,  and  water.  I  had  but 
little  appetite,  though  I  was  tormented  with  contin- 
ual thirst.  My  wounds  would  not  permit  me  to  re- 
main but  a  few  minutes  in  any  one  position  ;  so,  sit- 
ting, or  standing,  or  moving  slowly  round,  I  passed 
the  days  and  nights.  I  was  heart  sick  and  discour- 
aged. Thoughts  of  my  family,  of  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren, continually  occupied  my  mind.  .When  sleep 
overpowered  me  I  dreamed  of  them  —  dreamed  I  was 
again  in  Saratoga  —  that  I  could  see  their  faces,  and 
hear  their  voices  calling  me.  Awakening  from  the 
pleasant  phantasms  of  sleep  to  the  bitter  realities 
around  me,  I  could  but  groan  and  weep.  Still  my 
spirit  was  not  broken.  I  indulged  the  anticipation  of 
escape,  and  that  speedily.  It  was  impossible,  I  rea- 
soned, that  men  could  be  so  unjust  as  to  detain  me  as 
a  slave,  when  the  truth  of  my  case  was  known. 
Burch,  ascertaining  I  was  no  runaway  from  Georgia, 
would  certainly  let  me  go.     Though   suspicions   of 


48  TWELVE   YEARS   A   STAVE. 

Brown  and  Hamilton  were  not  unfrequent,  I  could 
not  reconcile  myself  to  the  idea  that  they  were  in- 
strumental to  my  imprisonment.  Surely  they  would 
seek  me  out  —  they  would  deliver  me  from  thraldom. 
Alas  !  I  had  not  then  learned  the  measure  of  "  man's 
inhumanity  to  man,"  nor  to  what  limitless  extent  of' 
wickedness  he  will  go  for  the  love  of  gain. 

In  the  course  of  several  days  the  outer  door  was 
thrown  open,  allowing  me  the  liberty  of  the  yard. 
There  I  found  three  slaves  ■ —  one  of  them  a  lad  of  ten 
years,  the  others  young  men  of  about  twenty  and 
twenty-five.  I  was  not  long  in  forming  an  acquaint- 
ance, and  learning  their  names  and  the  particulars  of 
their  history. 

The  eldest  was  a  colored  man  named  Clemens  Ray. 
He  had  lived  in  Washington  ;  had  driven  a  hack,  ancl 
worked  in  a  livery  stable  there  for  a  long  time.  He 
was  very  intelligent,  and  fully  comprehended  his  sit- 
uation. The  thought  of  going  south  overwhelmed 
him  with  grief.  Bnrch  had  purchased  him  a  few 
days  before,  and  had  placed  him  there  until  such  time 
as  he  was  ready  to  send  him  to  the  ISTew-Orleans  mar 
ket.  From  him  I  learned  for  the  first  time  that  I  was 
in  William's  Slave  Pent  a  place  I  had  never  heard  of 
previously.  He  described  to  me  the  uses  for  which 
it  was  designed.  I  repeated  to  him  the  particulars  of 
my  unhappy  story,  but  lie  could  only  give  me  the 
consolation  of  his  sympathy.  He  also  advised  me  to 
be  silent  henceforth  on  the  subject  of  my  freedom; 
for,  knowing  the  character  of  Burch,  he  assured  me 


RAY,  WILLIAMS   AND  KAJSTDALL.  49 

that  it  would  only  be  attended  with  renewed  whip- 
ping. The  next  eldest  jvas  named  John  "Williams.  He 
was  raised  in  Virginia,  not  far  from  Washington. 
Burch  had  taken  him  in  payment  of  a  debt,  and  ho 
constantly  entertained  the  hope  that  his  master  would 
redeem  him  —  a  hope  that  was  subsequently  realized. 
1^)9.  lfl.^j  xvfls  a  sprightly  child,  that  answered  to  the 
name  of  Randall.  Most  of  the  time  he  was  playing 
about  the  yard,  but  occasionally  would  cry,  calling 
for  his  mother,  and  wondering  when  she  would  come. 
His  mother's  absence  seemed  to  be  the  great  and  only 
grief  in  his  little  heart.  He  was  too  young  to  realize 
his  condition,  and  when  the  memory  of  his  mother 
was  not  in  his  mind,  he  amused  us  with  his  pleasant 
pranks. 

At  night,  Kay,  Williams,  and  the  boy,  slept  in  the 
loft  of  the  shed,  while  I  was  locked  in  the  cell.  Fi- 
nally we  were  each  provided  with  blankets,  such  as 
are  used  upon  horses  —  the  only  bedding  I  was  allow- 
ed to  have  for  twelve  years  afterwards.  Ray  and 
Williams  asked  me  many  questions  about  Kew-York 
— how  colored  people  were  treated  there  ;  how  they 
could  have  homes  and  families  of  their  own,  with  none 
to  disturb  and  oppress  them ;  and  Ray,  especially, 
sighed  continually  for  freedom.  Such  conversations, 
however,  were  not  in  the  hearing  of  Burch,  or  the 
keeper  Eadburn.  Aspirations  such  as  these  would 
have  brought  down  the  lash  upon  our  backs. 

It  is  necessary  in  this  narrative,  in  order  to  present 
a  full  and  truthful  statement  of  all  the  principal  events 


SO  TWELVE    YEAES    A    SLAVE. 

in  the  history  of  my  lii'e,  and  to  portray  the  institu 
tion  of  Slavery  as  I  have  seen  and  known  it,  to  speak 
of  well-known  places,  and  of  many  persons  who  are 
yet  living.  I  am,  and  always  was,  an  entire  stranger 
in  Washington  and  its  vicinity  —  aside  from  Burch 
and  Radburn,  knowing  no  man  there,  except  as  I  have 
heard  of  them  through  my  enslaved  companions. 
"What  I  am  about  to  say,  if  false,  can  be  easily  con- 
tradicted. 

I  remained  in  Williams'  slave  pen  abont  two 
weeks.  The  night  previous  to  my  departure  a  woman 
was  brought  in,  weeping  bitterly,  and  leading  by  the 
hand  a  little  child.  They  were  Randall's  mother  and 
half-sister.  On  meeting  them  he  was  overjoyed, 
clinging  to  her  dress,  kissing  the  child,  and  exhibit- 
ing every  demonstration  of  delight.  The  mother  also 
clasped  him  in  her  arms,  embraced  him  tenderly,  and 
gazed  at  him  fondly  through  her  tears,  calling  him  by 
many  an  endearing  name. 

Emily,  the  child,  was  seven  or  eight  years  old,  of 
light  complexion,  and  wTith  a  face  of  admirable  beau- 
ty. Her  hair  fell  in  curls  around  her  neck,  while  the 
style  and  richness  of  her  dress,  and  the  neatness  of 
her  whole  appearance  indicated  she  had  been  brought 
up  in  the  midst  of  wealth.  She  was  a  sweet  child 
indeed.  The  woman  also  was  arrayed  in  silk,  with 
rings  upon  her  fingers,  and  golden  ornaments  sus- 
pended from  her  ears.  Her  air  and  manners,  the  cor- 
rectness and  propriety  of  her  language  —  all  showed, 
evidently,  that  she  had  sometime  stood  above  the 


MATERNAL   SORROWS.  51 

common  level  of  a  slave.  She  seemed  to  "be  amazed 
at  finding  herself  in  such  a  place  as  that.  It  was 
plainly  a  suclden^and  unexpected  turn  of  fortune  that 
had  brouo'ht  her  there.  Filling  the  air  with  her  com- 
plainings,  she  was  hustled,  with  the  children  and  my- 
self, into  the  cell.  Language  can  convey  but  an  inad- 
equate impression  of  the  lamentations  to  which  she 
gave  incessant  utterance.  Throwing  herself  upon  the 
floor,  and  encircling  the  children  in  her  arms,  she 
poured  forth  such  touching  words  as  only  maternal 
love  and  kindness  can  suggest.  They  nestled  closely 
to  her,  as  if  there  only  was  there  any  safety  or  pro- 
tection. At  last  they  slept,  their  heads  resting  upon 
her  lap.  While  they  slumbered,  she  smoothed  the 
hair  back  from  their  little  foreheads,  and  talked  to 
them  all  night  long.  She  called  them  her  darlings  — 
her  sweet  babes  —  poor  innocent  things,  that  knew 
not  the  misery  they  were  destined  to  endure.  Soon 
they  would  have  no  mother  to  comfort  them  —  they 
would  be  taken  from  her.  "What  would  become  of 
them  ?  Oh !  she  could  not  live  away  from  her  little 
Emmy  and  her  dear  boy.  They  had  always  been 
good  children,  and  had  such  loving  ways.  It  would 
break  her  heart,  God  knew,  she  said,  if  they  were  ta- 
ken from  her ;  and  yet  she  knew  they  meant  to  sell 
them,  and,  may  be,  they  would  be  separated,  and 
could  never  see  each  other  any  more.  It  was  enough 
to  melt  a  heart  of  stone  to  listen  to  the  pitiful  ex- 
pressions of  that  desolate  and  distracted  mother.     Her 


52  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

name  was  Eliza ;  and  tins  was  the  story  of  her  life,  as 
she  afterwards  related  it : 

She  was  the  slave  of  Elisha  "BerrvL  a  rich  man,  liv- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  of  "Washington.  She  was 
born,  I  think  she  said,  on  his  plantation.  Years  be- 
fore, he  had  fallen  into  dissipated  habits,  and  quarrel- 
ed with  his  wife.  In  fact,  soon  after  the  birth  of 
Randall,  they  separated.  Leaving  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter in  the  house  they  had  always  occupied,  he  erected 
a  new  one  near  by,  on  the  estate.  Into  this  house  he 
brought  Eliza  ;  and,  on  condition  of  her  living  with 
him,  she  and  her  children  were  to  be  emancipated. 
She  resided  with  him  there  nine  years,  with  servants 
to  attend  upon  her,  and  provided  with  every  comfort 
and  luxury  of  life.  Emily  was  his  child  !  Finally, 
her  young  mistress,  who  had  always  remained  with 
her  mother  at  the  homestead,  married  a  Mr.  Jacob 
Brooks.  At  length,  for  some  cause,  (as  I  gathered 
from  her  relation,)  beyond  Berry's  control,  a  division 
of  his  property  was  made.  She  and  her  children  fell 
to  the  share  of  Mr.  Brooks.  During  the  nine  years 
she  had  lived  with  Berry,  in  consequence  of  the  posi- 
tion she  was  compelled  to  occupy,  she  and  Emily  had 
become  the  object  of  Mrs.  Berry  and  her  daughter's 
hatred  and  dislike.  Berry  himself  she  represented  as 
a  man  of  naturally  a  kind  heart,  who  always  promis- 
ed her  that  she  should  have  her  freedom,  and  who, 
she  had  no  doubt,  would  grant  it  to  her  then,  if  it 
were  only  in  his  power.     As  soon  as  they  thus  came 


THE   STORY   OF  ELIZA.  53 

into  the  possession  and  control  of  the  daughter,  it  be- 
came very  manifest  they  would  not  live  long  together. 
The  sight  of  Eliza  seemed  to  be  odious  to  Mrs.  Brooks  ; 
neither  could  she  bear  to  look  upon  the  child,  half- 
sister,  and  beautiful  as  she  was  ! 

The  day  she  was  led  into  the  pen,  Brooks  had 
brought  her  from  the  estate  into  the  city,  under  pre- 
tence that  the  time  had  come  when  her  free  papers 
were  to  be  executed,  in  fulfillment  of  her  master's 
promise.  Elated  at  the  prospect  of  immediate  liber- 
ty, she  decked  herself  and  little  Emmy  in  their  best 
apparel,  and  accompanied  him  with  a  joyful  heart. 
On  their  arrival  in  the  city,  instead  of  being  baptized 
into  the  family  of  freemen,  she  was  delivered  to  the 
tvridnr  "Ryiriih.  The  paper  that  was  executed  was  a 
bill  of  sale.  The  hope  of  years  was  blasted  in  a  mo- 
ment. From  the  hight  of  most  exulting  happiness 
to  the  utmost  depths  of  wretchedness,  she  had  that 
day  descended.  No  wonder  that  she  wept,  and  filled 
the  pen  with  wailings  and  expressions  of  heart-rend- 
ing woe. 

Eliza  is  now  dead.  Far  up  the  Red  River,  where 
it  pours  its  waters  sluggishly  through  the  unhealthy 
low  lands  of  Louisiana,  she  rests  in  the  grave  at  last — 
the  only  resting  place  of  the  poor  slave  !  How  all  her 
fears  were  realized  —  how  she  mourned  day  and  night, 
and  never  would  be  comforted' — how,  as  she  predict- 
ed, her  heart  did  indeed  break,  with  the  burden  of 
maternal  sorrow,  will  be  seen  as  the  narrative  pro- 
ceeds. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ELIZA'S      SORROWS PREPARATION      TO     EMBARK DRIVEN     THROUGH    THE 

STREETS    OK   WASHINGTON HAIL,    COLUMBIA THE    TOMB    OF   WASHING- 
TON  CLEM      RAY THE    BREAKFAST     ON     THE     STEAMER THE    HAPrT 

BIRDS AQUIA    CREEK FREDERICKSBURGH — 'ARRIVAL     IN    RICHMOND 

GOODIN   AND  HIS    SLAVE   PEN ROBERT,  OF  CINCINNATI DAVID  AND  HIS 

WIFE MART   AND    LETHE CLEM'S    RETURN HIS    SUBSEQUENT    ESCAPE 

TO    CANADA THE   BRIG   ORLEANS JAMES   H.    BURCH. 

At  intervals  during  the  first  night  of  Eliza's  incar- 
ceration in  the  pen,  she  complained  bitterly  of  Jacob 
Brooks,  her  young  mistress'  husband.  She  declared 
that  had  she  been  aware  of  the  deception  he  intended 
to  practice  upon  her,  he  never  would  have  brought 
her  there  alive.  They  had  chosen  the  opportunity  of 
getting  her  away  when  Master  Berry  was  absent  from 
the  plantation.  He  had  always  been  kind  to  her. 
She  wished  that  she  could  see  him ;  but  she  knew  that 
even  he  was  unable  now  to  rescue  her.  Then  would 
she  commence  weeping  again  —  kissing  the  sleeping 
children  —  talking  first  to  one,  then  to  the  other,  as 
they  lay  in  their  unconscious  slumbers,  with  their 
heads  upon  her  lap.  So  wore  the  long  night  away ; 
and  when  the  morning  dawned,  and  night  had  come 
again,  still  she  kept  mourning  on,  and  would  not  be 
consoled. 


PREPARATION   TO   EMEARK.  55 

About  midnight  following,  the  cell  door  opened, 
and  Burch  and  Radburn  entered,  with  lanterns  in 
their  hands.  Bnrch,  with  an  oath,  ordered  us  to  roll 
up  our  blankets  without  delay,  and  get  ready  to  go 
on  board  the  boat.  He  swore  we  would  be  left  unless 
we  hurried  fast.  He  aroused  the  children  from  their 
slumbers  with  a  rough  shake,  and  said  they  were 
d — d  sleepy,  it  appeared.  Going  out  into  the  yard, 
he  called  Clem  Ray,  ordering  him  to  leave  the  loft 
and  come  into  the  cell,  and  bring  his  blanket  with 
him.  When  Clem  appeared,  he  placed  us  side  by 
side,  and  fastened  us  together  with  hand-cuffs  —  my 
left  hand  to  his  right.  John  Williams  had  been  ta- 
ken out  a  day  or  two  before,  his  master  having 
redeemed  him,  greatly  to  his  delight.  Clem  and  I 
were  ordered  to  march,  Eliza  and  the  children  fol- 
lowing. We  were  conducted  into  the  yard,  from 
thence  into  the  covered  passage,  and  up  a  flight  of 
steps  through  a  side  door  into  the  upper  room,  where 
I  had  heard  the  walking  to  and  fro.  Its  furniture  was 
a  stove,  a  few  old  chairs,  and  a  long  table,  covered 
with  papers.  It  was  a  white-washed  room,  without 
any  carpet  on  the  floor,  and  seemed  a  sort  of  office. 
By  one  of  the  windows,  I  remember,  hung  a  rusty 
sword,  which  attracted  my  attention.  Burch's  trunk 
was  there.  In  obedience  to  his  orders,  I  took  hold  of 
one  of  its  handles  with  my  unfettered  hand,  while  he 
taking  hold  of  the  other,  we  proceeded  out  of  the 
front  door  into  the  street  in  the  same  order  as  we  had 
left  the  cell. 


66  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

It  was  a  dark  night.  All  was  quiet.  I  could  see 
lights,  or  the  reflection  of  them,  over  towards  Penn- 
sylvania Avenue,  but  there  was  no  one,  not  even  a 
straggler,  to  be  seen.  I  was  almost  resolved  to  at- 
tempt to  break  away.  Had  I  not  been  hand-cuffed 
the  attempt  would  certainly  have  been  made,  what- 
ever consequence  might  have  followed.  Radburn 
was  in  the  rear,  carrying  a  large  stick,  and  hurrying 
lip  the  children  as  fast  as  the  little  ones  could  walk. 
So  we  passed,  hand-cuffed  and  in  silence,  through  the 
streets  of  Washington  —  through  the  Capital  of  a  na- 
tion, whose  theory  of  government,  we  are  told,  rests 
on  the  foundation  of  man's  inalienable  right  to  life, 
'liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness !  Hail !  Co- 
lumbia, happy  land,  indeed ! 

Beaching  the  steamboat,  we  were  quickly  hustled 
into  the  hold,  among  barrels  and  boxes  of  freight.  A 
colored  servant  brought  a  light,  the  bell  rung,  and 
soon  the  vessel  started  down  the  Potomac,  carrying 
us  we  knew  not  where.  The  bell  tolled  as  we  passed 
the  tomb  of  "Washington !  Burch,  no  doubt,  with  un- 
covered head,  bowed  reverently  before  the  sacred  ash- 
es of  the  man  who  devoted  his  illustrious  life  to  the 
liberty  of  his  country. 

None  of  us  slept  that  night  but  Randall  and  little 
Emmy.  For  the  first  time  Clem  Pay  was  wholly 
overcome.  To  him  the  idea  of  going  south  was  ter  ■ 
rible  in  the  extreme.  He  was  leaving  the  friends  and 
associations  of  his  youth  ■ — ■  every  thing  that  was  dear 
and  precious  to  his  heart  —  in  all  probability  never 


BREAKFAST  ON  THE  STEAMER.  57 

to  return.  He  and  Eliza  mingled  their  tears  together, 
bemoaning  their  cruel  fate.  For  my  own  part,  diffi- 
cult as  it  was,  I  endeavored  to  keep  up  my  spirits.  I 
resolved  in  my  mind  a  hundred  plans  of  escape,  and 
fully  determined  to  make  the  attempt  the  first  despe- 
rate chance  that  offered.  I  had  by  this  time  become 
satisfied,  however,  that  my  true  policy  was  to  say  no- 
thing further  on  the  subject  of  my  having  been  born  a 
freeman.  It  would  but  expose  me  to  mal-treatment, 
and  diminish  the  chances  of  liberation. 

After  sunrise  in  the  morning  we  were  called  up  on 
deck  to  breakfast.  Burch  took  our  hand-cuffs  off,  and 
we  sat  down  to  table.  He  asked  Eliza  if  she  would 
take  a  dram.  She  declined,  thanking  him  politely. 
During  the  meal  we  were  all  silent  —  not  a  word  pass- 
ed between  us.  A  mulatto  woman  who  served  at  ta- 
ble seemed  to  take  an  interest  in  our  behalf —  told  us 
to  cheer  up,  and  not  to  be  so  cast  down.  Breakfast 
over,  the  hand-cuffs  were  restored,  and  Burch  ordered 
us  out  on  the  stern  deck.  We  sat  down  together  on 
some  boxes,  still  saying  nothing  in  Burch's  presence. 
Occasionally  a  passenger  would  walk  out  to  where 
we  were,  look  at  us  for  a  while,  then  silently  return. 

It  was  a  very  pleasant  morning.  The  fields  along 
the  river  were  covered  with  verdure,  far  in  advance 
of  what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  see  at  that  season 
of  the  year.  The  sun  shone  out  warmly ;  the  birds 
were  singing  in  the  trees.  The  happy  birds  —  I  en- 
vied them.  I  wished  for  wings  like  them,  that  I 
might  cleave  the  air  to  where  my  birdlings  waited 
0* 


53  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

vainly  for  their  father's  coming,  in  the  cooler  region 
of  the  North. 

In  the  forenoon  the  steamer  reached  Aquia  Creek. 
There  the  passengers  took  stages — Burch  and  his  five 
slaves  occupying  one  exclusively.  He  laughed  with 
the  children,  and  at  one  stopping  place  went  so  far  as 
to  purchase  them  a  piece  of  gingerbread.  He  told 
me  to  hold  up  my  head  and  look  smart.  That  I 
might,  perhaps,  get  a  good  master  if  I  behaved  my- 
self. I  made  him  no  reply.  His  face  was  hateful  to 
me,  and  I  could  not  bear  to  look  upon  it.  I  sat  in 
the  corner,  cherishing  in  my  heart  the  hope,  not  yet 
extinct,  of  some  day  meeting  the  tyrant  on  the  soil  of 
my  native  State. 

At  Fredericksburo-h  we  were  transferred  from  the 
stage  coach  to  a  car,  and  before  dark  arrived  in  Rich- 
mond, the  chief  city  of  Yirginia.  At  this  city  we 
were  taken  from  the  cars,  and  driven  through  the 
street  to  a  slave  pen,  between  the  railroad  depot  and 
the  river,  kept  by  a  Mr.  Gooclin.  This  pen  is  similar 
to  Williams'  in  "Washington,  except  it  is  somewhat 
larger;  and  besides,  there  were  two  small  houses 
standing  at  opposite  corners  within  the  yard.  These 
houses  are  susually  found  within  slave  yards,  being 
used  as  rooms  for  the  examination  of  human  chattels 
by  purchasers  before  concluding  a  bargain.  Un- 
soundness in  a  slave,  as  well  as  in  a  horse,  detracts 
materially  from  his  value.  If  no  warranty  is  given, 
a  close  examination  is  a  matter  of  particular  impor- 
tance to  the  negro  jockey. 


GOODIN   AND   HIS   SLAVE   PEN.  59 

"We  were  met  at  the  door  of  Goodin's  yard  by  that 
gentleman  himself —  a  short,  fat  man,  with  a  round, 
plump  face,  black  hair  and  whiskers,  and  a  complex- 
ion almost  as  dark  as  some  of  his  own  negroes.  He 
had  a  hard,  stern  look,  and  was  perhaps  about  fifty 
years  of  age.  Burch  and  he  met  with  great  cordiali- 
ty. They  were  evidently  old  friends.  Shaking  each 
other  warmly  by  the  hand,  Burch  remarked  he  had 
brought  some  company,  inquired  at  what  time  the 
brig  would  leave,  and  was  answered  that  it  would 
probably  leave  the  next  day  at  such  an  hour.  Good- 
in  then  turned  to  me,  took  hold  of  my  arm,  turned 
me  partly  round,  looked  at  me  sharply  with  the  air  of 
one  who  considered  himself  a  good  judge  of  property, 
and  as  if  estimating  in  his  own  mind  about  how 
much  I  was  worth. 

"  Well,  boy,  where  did  you  come  from  ?" 

Forgetting  myself,  for  a  moment,  I  answered, 
"  From  New-York." 

"  New- York  !  H — 1 !  what  have  you  been  doing 
up  there  ?"  was  his  astonished  interrogatory. 

Observing  Burch  at  this  moment  looking  at  me  with 
an  angry  expression  that  conveyed  a  meaning  it  was 
not  difficult  to  understand,  I  immediately  said,  "  O,  i 
have  only  been  up  that  way  a  piece,"  in  a  manner 
intended  to  imply  that  although  I  might  have  been  as 
far  as  New- York,  yet  I  wished  it  distinctly  understood 
that  I  did  not  belong  to  that  free  State,  nor  to  any 
other.  | 

Goodin  then  turned  to  Clem,  and  then  to  Eliza  and 


60  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

the  children,  examining  them  severally,  and  asking 
various  questions.  He  was  pleased  with  Emily,  as 
was  every  one  who  saw  the  child's  sweet  countenance. 
She  was  not  as  tidy  as  when  I  first  beheld  her ;  her 
hair  was  now  somewhat  disheveled ;  but  through  its 
unkempt  and  soft  profusion  there  still  beamed  a  little 
face  of  most  surpassing  loveliness.  "  Altogether  we 
were  a  fair  lot  —  a  devilish  good  lot,"  he  said,  enforc- 
ing that  opinion  with  more  than  one  emphatic  adjec- 
tive not  found  in  the  Christian  vocabulary.  Thereup- 
on we  passed  into  the  yard.  Quite  a  number  of 
slaves,  as  many  as  thirty  I  should  say,  were  moving 
about,  or  sitting  on  benches  under  the  shed.  They 
were  all  cleanly  dressed  —  the  men  with  hats,  the  wo- 
men with  handkerchiefs  tied  about  their  heads. 

Burch  and  Goodin,  after  separating  from  us,  walk- 
ed up  the  steps  at  the  back  part  of  the  main  building, 
and  sat  down  upon  the  door  sill.  They  entered  into 
conversation,  but  the  subject  of  it  I  could  not  hear. 
Presently  Burch  came  down  into  the  yard,  unfettered 
rne,  and  led  me  into  one  of  the  small  houses. 

"  You  told  that  man  you  came  from  New- York," 
said  he. 

I  replied,  "  I  told  him  I  had  been  up  as  far  as  New- 
York,  to  be  sure,  but  did  not  tell  him  I  belonged 
there,  nor  that  I  was  a  freeman.  I  meant  no  harm  at 
all,  Master  Burch.  I  would  not  have  said  it  had  I 
thought." 

He  looked  at  me  a  moment  as  if  he  was  ready  to 
devour  me,  then  turning  round  went  out.    In  a  few 


KQBEKT,  OF   CINCINNATI.  61 

minutes  he  returned.  "  If  ever  I  hear  you  say  a  word 
about  ISTew-York,  or  about  your  freedom,  I  will  be  the 
death  of  you  —  I  will  kill  you ;  you  may  rely  on 
that,"  he  ejaculated  fiercely. 

I  doubt  not  he  understood  then  better  than  I  did, 
the  danger  and  the  penalty  of  selling  a  free  man  into 
slavery.  He  felt  the  necessity  of  closing  my  mouth 
against  the  crime  he  knew  he  was  committing.  Of 
course,  my  life  would  not  have  weighed  a  feather,  in 
any  emergency  requiring  such  a  sacrifice.  Undoubt- 
edly, he  meant  precisely  what  he  said. 

Under  the  shed  on  one  side  of  the  yard,  there  was 
constructed  a  rough  table,  while  overhead  were  sleep- 
ing lofts  —  the  same  as  in  the  pen  at  "Washington.  Af- 
ter partaking  at  this  table  of  our  supper  of  pork  and 
bread,  I  was  hand-cuffed  to  a  large  yellow  man,  quite 
stout  and  fleshy,  with  a  countenance  expressive  of 
the  utmost  melancholy.  He  was  a  man  of  intelli- 
gence and  information.  Chained  together,  it  was  not 
•long  before  we  became  acquainted  with  each  other's 
history.  His  name  was  Robert.  Like  myself,  he 
had  been  born  free,  and  had  a  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren in  Cincinnati.  He  said  he  had  come  south  with 
two  men,  who  had  hired  him  in  the  city  of  his  resi- 
dence. Without  free  papers,  he  had  been  seized  at 
Fredericksburgh,  placed  in  confinement,  and  beaten 
until  he  had  learned,  as  I  had,  the  necessity  and  the 
policy  of  silence.  He  had  been  in  Goodin's  pen 
about  three  weeks.  To  this  man  I  became  much 
attached.    "We  could  sympathize  with,  and  understand 


62  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

each  other.  It  was  with  tears  and  a  heavy  heart, 
not  many  clays  subsequently,  that  I  saw  him  die,  and 
looked  for  the  last  time  upon  his  lifeless  form ! 

Robert  and  myself,  with  Clem,  Eliza  and  her  chil- 
dren, slept  that  night  upon  our  blankets,  in  one  of  the 
small  houses  in  the  yard.  There  were  four  others,  all 
from  the  same  plantation,  who  had  been  sold,  and 
were  now  on  their  way  south,  who  also  occupied  it 
with  us.  David  and  his  wife,  Caroline,  both  mulat- 
toes,  were  exceedingly  affected.  They .  dreaded  the 
thought  of  being  put  into  the  cane  and  cotton  fields ; 
but  their  greatest  source  of  anxiety  was  the  apprehen- 
sion of  being  separated.  Mary,  a  tall,  lithe  girl,  of  a 
most  jetty  black,  was  listless  and  apparently  indiffer- 
ent. Like  many  of  the  class,  she  scarcely  knew  there 
was  such  a  word  as  freedom.  Brought  up  in  the  ig- 
norance of  a  brute,  she  possessed  but  little  more  than 
a  brute's  intelligence.  She  was  one  of  those,  and 
there  are  very  many,  who  fear  nothing  but  their  mas- 
ter's lash,  and  know  no  further  duty  than  to  obey  his 
voice.  The  other  was  Lethe.  She  was  of  an  entirely 
different  character.  She  had  long,  straight  hair,  and 
bore  more  the  appearance  of  an  Indian  than  a  negro 
woman.  She  had  sharp  and  spiteful  eyes,  and  con- 
tinually gave  utterance  to  the  language  of  hatred 
and  revenge.  Her  husband  had  been  sold.  She 
knew  not  where  she  was.  An  exchange  of  masters, 
she  was  sure,  could  not  be  for  the  worse.  She  cared 
not  whither  they  might  carry  her.  Pointing  to  the 
scars  upon  her  face,  the  desperate  creature  wished 


CLEM   EAT.  63 

that  she  might  see  the  day  when  she  could  wipe  them 
off  in  some  man's  blood ! 

"While  we  were  thus  learning  the  history  of  each 
other's  wretchedness,  Eliza  was  seated  in  a  corner  by 
herself,  singing  hymns  and  praying  for  her  children. 
"Wearied  from  the  loss  of  so  much  sleep,  I  could  no 
longer  bear  up  against  the  advances  of  that  "  sweet 
restorer,"  and  laying  down  by  the  side  of  Robert,  on 
the  floor,  soon  forgot  my  troubles,  and  slept  until  the 
dawn  of  day. 

In  the  morning,  having  swept  the  yard,  and  wash- 
ed ourselves,  under  Goodin's  superintendence,  we 
were  ordered  to  roll  up  our  blankets,  and  make  ready 
for  the  continuance  of  our  journey.  Clem  Ray  was 
informed  that  he  would  go  no  further,  Burch,  for  some 
cause,  having  concluded  to  carry  him  back  to  Wash- 
ington. He  was  much  rejoiced.  Shaking  hands,  we 
parted  in  the  slave  pen  at  Richmond,  and  I  have  not 
seen  him  since.  But,  much  to  my  surprise,  since  my 
return,  I  learned  that  he  had  escaped  from  bondage, 
and  on  his  way  to  the  free  soil  of  Canada,  lodged  one 
night  at  the  house  of  my  brother-in-law  in  Saratoga, 
informing  my  family  of  the  place  and  the  condition 
in  which  he  left  me. 

In  the  afternoon  we  were  drawn  up,  two  abreast, 
Robert  and  myself  in  advance,  and  in  this  order,  driv- 
en by  Burch  and  Goodin  from  the  yard,  through  the 
streets  of  Richmond  to  the  brig  Orleans.  She  was 
a  vessel  of  respectable  size,  full  rigged,  and  freighted 
principally  with  tobacco.     We  were  all  on  board  by 


TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

ve  o'clock.  Burcli  brought  us  each  a  tin  cup  and  a 
spoon.  There  were  forty  of  us  in  the  brig,  being  all, 
except  Clem,  that  were  in  the  pen. 

"With  a  small  pocket  knife  that  had  not  been  taken 
from  me,  I  began  cutting  the  initials  of  my  name 
upon  the  tin  cup.  The  others  immediately  flocked 
round  me,  requesting  me  to  mark  theirs  in  a  similar 
manner.  In  time,  I  gratified  them  all,  of  which  they 
did  not  appear  to  be  forgetful. 

We  were  all  stowed  away  in  the  hold  at  night,  and 
the  hatch  barred  down.  We  laid  on  boxes,  or  where- 
ever-  there  was  room  enough  to  stretch  our  blankets 
on  the  floor. 

Burch  accompanied  us  no  farther  than  Richmond, 
returning  from  that  point  to  the  capital  with  Clem. 
!Not  until  the  lapse  of  almost  twelve  years,  to  wit,  in 
January  last,  in  the  Washington  police  office,  did  I 
set  my  eyes  upon  his  face  again. 
//  James  H.  Burch  was  a  slave-trader — buying  men, 
women  and  children  at  low  prices,  and  selling  them 
at  an  advance.  He  was  a  speculator  in  human  flesh 
—  a  disreputable  calling — and  so  considered  at  the 
South.  For  the  present  he  disappears  from  the  scenes 
recorded  in  this  narrative,  but  he  will  appear  again 
before  its  close,  not  in  the  character  of  a  man-whip- 
ping tyrant,  but  as  an  arrested,  cringing  criminal  in 
a  court  of  law,  that  failed  to  do  him  justice. 

\ 

( 


CHAPTER  V. 

ARRIVAL   AT    NORFOLK FREDERICK   AND   MARIA ARTHUR,  THE   FREEMAN 

APPOINTED    STEWARD JIM,  CUFFEE,  AND    JENNY THE  STORM BA- 
HAMA  BANKS THE    CALM THE    CONSPIRACY THE   LONG    BOAT THE 

SMALL-POX DEATH  OF  ROBERT MANNING,  THE  SAILOR THE  MEETING 

IN    THE   FORECASTLE THE    LETTER ARRIVAL     AT   NEW-ORLEANS AR- 
THUR'S RESCUE THEOPHILUS  FREEMAN,  THE  CONSIGNEE PLATT FIRST 

NIGHT   IN    THE    NEW-ORLEANS   SLATE  PEN. 

•After  we  were  all  on  board,  the  brig  Orleans  pro- 
ceeded down  James  River.  Passing  into  Chesapeake 
Bay,  we  arrived  next  day  opposite  the  city  of  JSTor- 
folk.  While  lying  at  anchor,  a  lighter  approached 
us  from  the  town,  bringing  four  more  slaves.  Frede- 
rick, a  boy  of  eighteen,  had  been  born  a  slave,  as  also 
had  Henry,  who  was  some  years  older.  They  had 
both  been  house  servants  in  the  city.  Maria  was  a 
rather  genteel  looking  colored  girl,  with  a  faultless 
form,  but  ignorant  and  extremely  vain.  The  idea  of 
going  to  New-Orleans  was  pleasing  to  her.  She  en- 
tertained an  extravagantly  high  opinion  of  her  own 
attractions.  Assuming  a  haughty  mien,  she  declared 
to  her  companions,  that  immediately  on  our  arrival 
in  ISTew-Orleans,  she  had  no  doubt,  some  wealthy  sin- 
gle gentleman  of  good  taste  would  purchase  her  at 
once ! 

5 


GQ  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

But  the  most  prominent  of  the  four,  was  a  man 
named  Arthur.  As  the  lighter  approached,  he  strug- 
gled stoutly  with  his  keepers.  It  was  with  main 
force  that  he  was  dragged  aboard  the  brig.  He  pro- 
tested, in  a  loud  voice,  against  the  treatment  he  was 
receiving,  and  demanded  to  be  released.  His  face 
was  swollen,  and  covered  with  wounds  and  bruises, 
and,  indeed,  one  side  of  it  was  a  complete  raw  sore. 
He  was  forced,  with  all  haste,  down  the  hatchway 
into  the  hold.  I  caught  an  outline  of  his  story  as  he 
was  borne  struggling  along,  of  which  he  afterwards 
gave  me  a  more  full  relation,  and  it  was  as  follows : 
He  had  long  resided  in  the  city  of  Norfolk,  and  was 
a  free  man.  He  had  a  family  living  there,  and  was  a 
mason  by  trade.  Having  been  unusually  detained, 
he  was  returning  late  one  night  to  his  house  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  when  he  was  attacked  by  a  gang 
of  persons  in  an  unfrequented  street.  He  fought 
until  his  strength  failed  him.  Overpowered  at  last, 
he  was  gagged  and  bound  with  ropes,  and  beaten, 
until  he  became  insensible.  For  several  days  they 
secreted  him  in  the  slave  pen  at  Norfolk  —  a  very 
common  establishment,  it  appears,  in  the  cities  of  the 
South.  The  night  before,  he  had  been  taken  out  and 
put  on  board  the  lighter,  which,  pushing  out  from 
shore,  had  nwaited  our  arrival.  For  some  time  he 
continued  his  protestations,  and  was  altogether  irrec- 
oncilable. At  length,  however,  he  became  silent. 
He  sank  into  a  gloomy  and  thoughtful  mood,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  counseling  with  himself.     There  was  in 


JIM,  CTjTFEE  and  jenny.  67 

the  man's  determined  face,  something  that  suggested 
the  thought  of  desperation. 

After  leaving  Norfolk  the  hand-cuffs  were  taken 
off,  and  during  the  day  we  were  allowed  to  remain 
on  deck.  The  captain  selected  Robert  as  his  waiter, 
and  I  was  appointed  to  superintend  the  cooking  de- 
partment, and  the  distribution  of  food  and  water.  I 
had  three  assistants,  Jim,  Cuffee  and  Jenny.  Jenny's 
business  was  to  prepare  the  coffee,  which  consisted  of 
corn  meal  scorched  in  a  kettle,  boiled  and  sweetened 
with  molasses.  Jim  and  Cuffee  baked  the  hoe-cake 
and  boiled  the  bacon. 

Standing  by  a  table,  formed  of  a  wide  board  rest- 
ing on  the  heads  of  the  barrels,  I  cut  and  handed  to 
each  a  slice  of  meat  and  a  "  dodger"  of  the  bread, 
and  from  Jenny's  kettle  also  clipped  out  for  each  a 
cup  of  the  coffee.  The  use  of  plates  was  dispensed 
with,  and  their  sable  fingers  took  the  place  of  knives 
and  forks.  Jim  and  Cuffee  were  very  demure  and 
attentive  to  business,  somewhat  inflated  with  their 
situation  as  second  cooks,  and  without  doubt  feeling 
that  there  was  a  great  responsibility  resting  on  them. 
I  was  called  steward — a  name  given  me  by  the  cap- 
tain. 

The  slaves  were  fed  twice  a  day,  at  ten  and  five 
o'clock  —  always  receiving  the  same  kind  and  quantity 
of  fare,  and  in  the  same  manner  as  above  described. 
At  night  we  were  driven  into  the  hold,  and  securely 
fastened  down. 

Scarcely  were  we  out  of  sight  of  land  before  we 


b8  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

were  overtaken  by  a  violent  storm.  The  brig  rolled 
and  plunged  until  we  feared  she  would  go  down. 
Some  were  sea-sick,  others  on  their  knees  praying, 
while  some  were  fast  holding  to  each  other,  paralyzed 
with  fear.  The  sea-sickness  rendered  the  place  of  our 
confinement  loathsome  and  disgusting.  It  would 
have  been  a  happy  thing  for  most  of  us  —  it  would 
have  saved  the  agony  of  many  hundred  lashes,  and 
miserable  deaths  at  last  —  had  the  compassionate  sea 
snatched  us  that  day  from  the  clutches  of  remorseless 
men.  The  thought  of  Randall  and  little  Emmy  sink- 
ing down  among  the  monsters  of  the  deep,  is  a  more 
pleasant  contemplation  than  to  think  of  them  as  they 
are  now,  perhaps,  dragging  out  lives  of  unrequited 
toil. 

When  in  sight  of  the  Bahama  Banks,  at  a  place 
called  Old  Point  Compass,  or  the  Hole  in  the  Wall, 
we  were  becalmed  three  days.  There  was  scarcely  a 
breath  of  air.  The  waters  of  the  gulf  presented  a 
singularly  white  appearance,  like  lime  water. 

In  the  order  of  events,  I  come  now  to  the  relation 
of  an  occurrence,  which  I  never  call  to  mind  but  with 
sensations  of  regret.  I  thank  God,  who  has  since 
permitted  me  to  escape  from  the  thralklom  of  slavery, 
that  through  his  merciful  interposition  I  was  prevent- 
ed from  imbruing  my  hands  in  the  blood  of  his  crea- 
tures. Let  not  those  who  have  never  been  placed  in 
like  circumstances,  judge  me  harshly.  Until  they 
have  been  chained  and  beaten  • — -until  they  find  them- 
selves in  the  situation  I  was,  borne  away  from  home 


THE   CONSPIRACY.  69 

and  family  towards  a  land  of  bondage  —  let  them  re- 
frain from  saying  what  they  would  not  do  for  liberty. 
How  far  I  should  have  been  justified  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  man,  it  is  unnecessary  now  to  speculate  upon. 
It  is  enough  to  say  that  I  am  able  to  congratulate 
myself  upon  the  harmless  termination  of  an  affair 
which  threatened,  for  a  time,  to  be  attended  with  se- 
rious results. 

Towards  evening,  on  the  first  day  of  the  calm,  Ar- 
thur and  myself  were  in  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  seat- 
ed on  the  windlass.  We  were  conversing  together  of 
the  probable  destiny  that  awaited  us,  and  mourning 
together  over  our  misfortunes.  Arthur  said,  and  I 
agreed  with  him,  that  death  was  far  less  terrible  than 
the  living  prospect  that  was  before  us.  For  a  long 
time  we  talked  of  our  children,  our  past  lives,  and  of 
the  probabilities  of  escape.  Obtaining  possession  of 
the  brig  was  suggested  by  one  of  us.  We  discussed 
the  possibility  of  our  being  able,  in  such  an  event,  to 
make  our  way  to  the  harbor  of  New-York.  I  knew 
little  of  the  compass  ;  but  the  idea  of  risking  the  ex- 
periment was  eagerly  entertained.  The  chances,  for 
and  against  us,  in  an  encounter  with  the  crew,  was 
canvassed  Who  could  be  relied  upon,  and  who 
could  not,  the  proper  time  and  manner  of  the  attack, 
were  all  talked  over  and  over  again.  From  the  mo- 
ment the  plot  suggested  itself  I  began  to  hope.  I 
revolved  it  constantly  in  my  mind.  As  difficulty  af- 
ter difficulty  arose,  some  ready  conceit  was  at  hand, 
demonstrating!;  how   it  could  be  overcome.     While 


70  TWELVE   YEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

others  slept,  Arthur  and  I  were  maturing  our  plans. 
At  length,  with  much  caution,  Robert  was  gradually 
made  acquainted  with  our  intentions.  He  approved 
of  them  at  once,  and  entered  into  the  conspiracy  with 
a  zealous  spirit.  There  was  not  another  slave  we 
dared  to  trust.  Brought  up  in  fear  and  ignorance  as 
they  are,  it  can  scarcely  be  conceived  how  servilely 
they  will  cringe  before  a  white  man's  look.  It  was 
not  safe  to  deposit  so  bold  a  secret  with  any  of  them, 
and  finally  we  three  resolved  to  take  upon  ourselves 
alone  the  fearful  responsibility  of  the  attempt. 

At  night,  as  has  been  said,  we  were  driven  into  the 
hold,  and  the  hatch  barred  down.  How  to  reach  the 
deck  was  the  first  difficulty  that  presented  itself.  On 
the  bow  of  the  brig,  however,  I  had  observed  the 
small  boat  lying  bottom  upwards.  It  occurred  to  me 
that  by  secreting  ourselves  underneath  it,  we  would 
not  be  missed  from  the  crowd,  as  they  were  hurried 
down  into  the  hold  at  night.  I  was  selected  to  make 
the  experiment,  in  order  to  satisfy  ourselves  of  its  fea- 
sibility. The  next  evening,  accordingly,  after  supper, 
watching  my  opportunity,  I  hastily  concealed  myself 
beneath  it.  Lying  close  upon  the  deck,  I  could  see 
what  was  going  on  around  me,  while  wholly  unper- 
ceived  myself.  In  the  morning,  as  they  came  up,  I 
slipped  from  my  hiding  place  without  being  observed. 
The  result  Was  entirely  satisfactory. 

The  captain  and  mate  slept  in  the  cabin  of  the  for- 
mer. From  Robert,  who  had  frequent  occasion,  in 
his  capacity  of  waiter,  to  make  observations  in  that 


THE   CONSPIRACY.  71 

quarter,  we  ascertained  the  exact  position  of  their 
respective  berths.  He  further  informed  us  that  there 
were  always  two  pistols  and  a  cutlass  lying  on  the 
table.  The  crew's  cook  slept  in  the  cook  galley  on 
deck,  a  sort  of  vehicle  on  wheels,  that  could  be  mov- 
ed about  as  convenience  required,  while  the  sailors, 
numbering  only  six,  either  slept  in  the  forecastle,  or 
in  hammocks  swung  among  the  rigging. 

Finally  our  arrangements  were  all  completed.  Ar- 
thur and  I  were  to  steal  silently  to  the  captain's  cab- 
in, seize  the  pistols  and  cutlass,  and  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble despatch  him  and  the  mate.  Robert,  with  a  club, 
was  to  stand  by  the  door  leading  from  the  deck  down 
into  the  cabin,  and,  in  case  of  necessity,  beat  back  the 
sailors,  until  we  could  hurry  to  his  assistance.  We 
were  to  proceed  then  as  circumstances  might  require. 
Should  the  attack  be  so  sudden  and  successful  as  to 
prevent  resistance,  the  hatch  was  to  remain  barred 
down  ;  otherwise  the  slaves  were  to  be  called  up,  and 
in  the  crowd,  and  hurry,  and  confusion  of  the  time, 
we  resolved  to  regain  our  liberty  or  lose  our  lives.  I 
was  then  to  assume  the  unaccustomed  place  of  pilot, 
and,  steering  northward,  we  trusted  that  some  lucky 
wind  might  bear  us  to  the  soil  of  freedom. 

The  mate's  name  was  Biddee,  the  captain's  I  can- 
not now  recall,  though  I  rarely  ever  forget  a  name 
once  heard.  The  captain  was  a  small,  genteel  man, 
erect  and  prompt,  with  a  proud  bearing,  and  looked 
the  personification  of  courage.  If  he  is  still  living, 
and  these  pages  should  chance  to  meet  his  eye,  he 


12  TWELVE   TEARS  A   SLAVE. 

will  learn  a  fact  connected  with,  the  voyage  of  the 
brig,  from  Richmond  to  ]STew-Orleans,  in  1841,  not 
entered  on  his  log-book. 

We  were  all  prepared,  and  impatiently  waiting  an 
opportunity  of  putting  onr  designs  into  execution, 
when  they  were  frustrated  by  a  sad  and  unforeseen 
event.  Robert  was  taken  ill.  It  was  soon  announced 
that  lie  had  the  small-pox.  He  continued  to  grow 
worse,  and  four  days  previous  to  our  arrival  inlSTew- 
Orleans  he  died.  One  of  the  sailors  sewed  him  in  his 
blanket,  with  a  large  stone  from  the  ballast  at  his  feet, 
and  then  laying  him  on  a  hatchway,  and  elevating  it 
with  tackles  above  the  railing,  the  inanimate  body  of 
poor  Robert  was  consigned  to  the  white  waters  of  the 
gulf. 

We  were  all  panic-stricken  by  the  appearance  of 
the  small-pox.  The  captain  ordered  lime  to  be  scat- 
tered through  the  hold,  and  other  prudent  precau- 
tions to  be  taken.  The  death  of  Robert,  however,  and 
the  presence  of  the  malady,  oppressed  me  sadly,  and 
I  gazed  out  over  the  great  waste  of  waters  with  a 
spirit  that  was  indeed  disconsolate. 

An  evening  or  two  after  Robert's  burial,  I  was 
leaning  on  the  hatchway  near  the  forecastle,  full  of 
desponding  thoughts,  when  a  sailor  in  a  kind  voice 
asked  me  why  I  was  so  down-hearted.  The  tone  and 
manner  of  the  man  assured  me,  and  I  answered,  be- 
cause I  was  a  freeman,  and  had  been  kidnapped. 
He  remarked  that  it  was  enough  to  make  any  one 
down-hearted,  and  continued  to  interrogate  me  until 


MANNING,  THE   SAILOR.  -  73 

he  learned  tlie  particulars  of  my  whole  history.  He 
was  evidently  much  interested  in  my  behalf,  and,  in 
the  blunt  speech  of  a  sailor,  swore  he  would  aid  me 
all  he  could,  if  it  "  split  his  timbers."  I  requested 
him  to  furnish  me  pen,  ink  and  paper,  in  order  that  I 
might  write  to  some  of  my  friends.  He  promised  to 
obtain  them  —  but  how  I  could  use  them  undiscover- 
ed was  a  difficulty.  If  I  could  only  get  into  the  fore- 
castle while  his  watch  was  off,  and  the  other  sailors 
asleep,  the  thing  could  be  accomplished.  The  small 
boat  instantly  occurred  to  me.  He  thought  we  were 
not  far  from  the  Balize,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississip- 
pi, and  it  was  necessary  that  the  letter  be  written 
soon,  or  the  opportunity  would  be  lost.  Accordingly, 
by  arrangement,  I  managed  the  next  night  to  secret 
myself  again  under  the  long-boat.  His  watch  was  off 
at  twelve.  I  saw  him  pass  into  the  forecastle,  and  in 
about  an  hour  followed  him.  He  was  nodding  over 
a  table,  half  asleep,  on  which  a  sickly  light  was  flick- 
ering, and  on  which  also  was  a  pen  and  sheet  of  pa- 
per. As  I  entered  he  aroused,  beckoned  me  to  a  seat 
beside  him,  and  pointed  to  the  paper.  I  directed  the 
letter  to  Henry  B.  Northup,  of  Sandy  Hill  —  stating 
that  I  had  been  kidnapped,  was  then  on  board  the 
brig  Orleans,  bound  for  ISTew-Orleans ;  that  it  was 
then  impossible  for  me  to  conjecture  my  ultimate  des- 
tination, and  requesting  lie  would  take  measures  to 
rescue  me.  The  letter  was  sealed  and  directed,  and 
Manning,  having  read  it,  promised  to  deposit  it  in  the 
New-Orleans  post-office.     I  hastened  back  to  my  place 


7-i  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

under  the  long-boat,  and  in  the  morning,  as  the  slaves 
came  up  and  were  walking  round,  crept  out  unno- 
ticed and  mingled  with  them. 

My  good  friend,  whose  name  was  John  Manning, 
was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  a  noble-hearted, 
generous  sailor  as  ever  walked  a  deck.  He  had  lived 
in  Boston —  was  a  tall,  well-built  man,  about  twenty- 
four  years  old,  with  a  face  somewhat  pock-marked, 
but  full  of  benevolent  expression. 

Nothing  to  vary  the  monotony  of  our  daily  life  oc- 
curred, until  we  reached  New-Orleans.  On  coming 
to  the  levee,  and  before  the  vessel  was  made  fast,  I 
saw  Manning  leap  on  shore  and  hurry  away  into  the 
city.  As  he- started  off  he  looked  back  over  his  shoul- 
der significantly,  giving  me  to  understand  the  object 
of  his  errand.  Presently  he  returned,  and  passing 
close  by  me,  hunched  me  with  his  elbow,  with  a  pe- 
culiar wink,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  it  is  all  right." 

The  letter,  as  I  have  since  learned,  reached  Sandy 
Hill.  Mr.  North  up  visited  Albany  and  laid  it  before 
Governor  Seward,  but  inasmuch  as  it  gave  no  definite 
information  as  to  my  probable  locality,  it  was  not,  at 
that  time,  deemed  advisable  to  institute  measures  for 
my  liberation.  It  was  concluded  to  delay,  trusting 
that  a  knowledge  of  where  I  was  might  eventually  be 
obtained. 

A  happy  and  touching  scene  was  witnessed  imme- 
diately upon  our  reaching  the  levee.  Just  as  Man- 
ning left  the  brig,  on  his  way  to  the  post-office,  two 
men  came  up  and  called  aloud  for  Arthur.     The  lat- 


akthur's  rescue.  75 

ter,  as  he  recognized  tliem,  was  almost  crazy  with  de- 
light. He  could  hardly  be  restrained  from  leaping 
over  the  brig's  side  ;  and  when  they  met  soon  after, 
he  grasped  them  by  the  hand,  and  clung  to  them  a 
long,  long  time.  They  were  men  from  Norfolk,  who 
had  come  on  to  New-Orleans  to  rescue  him.  His 
kidnappers,  they  informed  him,  had  been  arrested, 
and  were  then  confined  in  the  Norfolk  prison.  They 
conversed  a  few  moments  with  the  captain,  and  then 
departed  with  the  rejoicing  Arthur. 

But  in  all  the  crowd  that  thronged  the  wharf,  there 
was  no  one  who  knew  or  cared  for  me.  Not  one. 
No  familiar  voice  greeted  my  ears,  nor  was  there  a 
single  face  that  I  had  ever  seen.  Soon  Arthur  would 
rejoin  his  family,  and  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
his  wrongs  avenged  :  my  family,  alas,  should  I  ever 
see  them  more  ?  There  was  a  feeling  of  utter  deso- 
lation in  my  heart,  filling  it  with  a  despairing  and  re- 
gretful sense,  that  I  had  not  gone  down  with  Robert 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 

Very  soon  traders  and  consignees  came  on  board. 
One,  a  tall,  thin-faced  man,  with  light  complexion 
and  a  little  bent,  made  his  appearance,  with  a  paper 
in  his  hand.  Burch's  gang,  consisting  of  myself,  Eli- 
za and  her  children,  Harry,  Lethe,  and  some  others, 
who  had  joined  us  at  Richmond,  were  consigned  to 
him.  This  gentleman  was  Mr.  Theophilus  Freeman. 
Reading  from  his  paper,  he  called,  "  Piatt."  No  one 
answered.  The  name  was  called  again  and  again,  but 
still  there  was  no  reply.     Then  Lethe  was  called,  then 


76  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLATE. 

Eliza,  then  Harry,  until  the  list  was  finished,  each 
one  stepping  forward  as  his  or  her  name  was  called. 

"  Captain,  where's  Piatt  V  demanded  Theophilus 
Freeman. 

The  captain  was  unable  to  inform  him,  no  one  be- 
ing on  board  answering  to  that  name. 

"Who  shipped  thai  nigger?"  he  again  inquired  of 
the  captain,  pointing  to  me. 

"  Burch,"  replied  the  captain. 

"  Your  name  is  Piatt  —  you  answer  my  description. 
Why  don't  you  come  forward  ?"  he  demanded  of  me, 
in  an  angry  tone. 

I  informed  him  that  was  not  my  name  ;  that  I  had 
never  been  called  by  it,  but  that  I  had  no  objection 
to  it  as  I  knew  of. 

"  "Well,  I  will  learn  you  your  name,"  said  he  ;  "  and 
so  you  won't  forget  it  either,  by ,"  he  added. 

Mr.  Theophilus  Freeman,  by  the  way,  was  not  a 
whit  behind  his  partner,  Burch,  in  the  matter  of  blas- 
phemy. On  the  vessel  I  had  gone  by  the  name  of 
"  Steward,"  and  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever 
been  designated  as  Piatt  —  the  name  forwarded  by 
Burch  to  his  consignee.  From  the  vessel  I  observ- 
ed the  chain-gang  at  work  on  the  levee.  We  passed 
near  them  as  we  were  driven  to  Freeman's  slave  pen. 
This  pen  is  very  similar  to  Goodin's  in  Richmond,  ex- 
cept the  yard  was  enclosed  by  plank,  standing  up- 
right, with  ends  sharpened,  instead  of  brick  walls. 

Including  us,  there  were  now  at  least  fifty  in  this 
pen.     Depositing  our  blankets  in  one  of  the   small 


FIRST   MIGHT   IN   NEW-ORLEANS.  77 

buildings  in  the  yard,  and  having  been  called  up  and 
fed,  we  were  allowed  to  saunter  about  the  enclosure 
until  night,  when  we  wrapped  our  blankets  round  us 
and  laid  down  under  the  shed,  or  in  the  loft,  or  in  the 
open  yard,  just  as  each  one  preferred. 

It  was  but  a  short  time  I  closed  ray  eyes  that  night. 
Thought  was  busy  in  ray  brain.  Could  it  be  possible 
that  I  was  thousands  of  miles  from  home  —  that  I  had 
been  driven  through  the  streets  like  a  dumb  beast  — ■ 
that  I  had  been  chained  and  beaten  without  mercy  — 
that  I  was  even  then  herded  with  a  drove  of  slaves,  a 
slave  myself?  Were  the  events  of  the  last  few  weeks 
realities  indeed  ?  —  or  was  I  passing  only  through  the 
dismal  phases  of  a  long,  protracted  dream  ?  It  was 
no  illusion.  My  cup  of  sorrow  was  full  to  overflow- 
ing. Then  I  lifted  up  my  hands  to  God,  and  in  the 
still  watches  of  the  night,  surrounded  by  the  sleeping 
forms  of  my  companions,  begged  for  mercy  on  the 
poor,  forsaken  captive.  To  the  Almighty  Father  of 
us  all  —  the  freeman  and  the  slave  —  I  poured  forth 
the  supplications  of  a  broken  spirit,  imploring  strength 
from  on  high  to  bear  up  against  the  burden  of  my 
troubles,  until  the  morning  light  aroused  the  slumber- 
ers,  ushering  in  another  day  of  bondage. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

freeman*  s  industry cleanliness  and  clothes exercising  in  the 

show  room the  dance bob,  the  fiddler arrival  of  custom- 
ers  slaves  examined the   old   gentleman   of  new-orleans 

sale  of  david,    caroline   and   lethe parting  of  randall  and 

eliza small    pox the    hospital recovery    and    return    to 

freeman's  slave  pen the  purchaser  of  eliza,  harry  and  platt 

— eliza's  agony  on  parting  from  little  emily. 

The  very  amiable,  pious-hearted  Mr.  Theophilus 
Freeman,  partner  or  consignee  of  James  II.  Burch, 
and  keeper  of  the  slave  pen  in  New-Orleans,  was  out 
among  his  animals  early  in  the  morning.  With  an 
occasional  kick  of  the  older  men  and  women,  and 
many  a  sharp  crack  of  the  whip  about  the  ears  of  the 
younger  slaves,  it  was  not  long  before  they  were  all 
astir,  and  wide  awake.  Mr.  Theophilus  Freeman 
bustled  about  in  a  very  industrious  manner,  getting 
his  property  ready  for  the  sales-room,  intending,  no 
doubt,  to  do  that  day  a  rousing  business. 

In  the  first  place  we  were  required  to  wash  thorough- 
ly, and  those  with  beards,  to  shave.  TTe  were  then 
furnished  with  a  new  suit  each,  cheap,  but  clean. 
The  men  had  hat,  coat,  shirt,  pants  and  shoes ;  the 
women  frocks  of  calico,  and  handkerchiefs  to  bind 
about  their  heads.  ~We  were  now  conducted  into  a 
large  room  in  the  front  part  of  the  building  to  which 


freeman's  industry.  79 

the  yard  was  attached,  in  order  to  be  properly  trained, 
before  the  admission  of  customers.  The  men  were 
arranged  on  one  side  of  the  room,  the  women  on  the 
other.  The  tallest  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  row, 
then  the  next  tallest,  and  so  on  in  the  order  of  their 
respective  heights.  Emily  was  at  the  foot  of  the 
line  of  women.  Freeman  charged  ns  to  remem- 
ber our  places  ;  exhorted  us  to  appear  smart  and  live- 
ly,—  sometimes  threatening,  and  again,  holding  out 
various  inducements.  During  the  day  he  exercised 
us  in  the  art  of  "  looking  smart,"  and  of  moving  to 
our  places  with  exact  precision. 

After  being  fed,  in  the  afternoon,  we  were  again 
paraded  and  made  to  dance.  Bob,  a  colored  boy, 
who  had  some  time  belonged  to  Freeman,  played  on 
the  violin.  Standing  near  him,  I  made  bold  to  in- 
quire if  he  could  play  the  "  Virginia  Reel."  He  an- 
swered he  could  not,  and  asked  me  if  I  could  play. 
Replying  in  the  affirmative,  he  handed  me  the  violin. 
I  struck  up  a  tune,  and  finished  it.  Freeman  ordered 
me  to  continue  playing,  and  seemed  well  pleased, 
telling  Bob  that  I  far  excelled  him  —  a  remark  that 
seemed  to  grieve  my  musical  companion  very  much. 

Next  day  many  customers  called  to  examine  Free- 
man's "  new  lot."  The  latter  gentleman  was  very 
loquacious,  dwelling  at  much  length  upon  our  several 
good  points  and  qualities.  He  would  make  us  hold 
up  our  heads,  walk  briskly  back  and  forth,  while  cus- 
tomers would  feel  of  our  hands  and  arms  and  bodies, 
turn  lis  about,  ask  us  what  we  could  do,  make  us  open 


80  TWELVE   YEAJRS   A   SLAV'S. 

our  mouths  and  show  our  teeth,  precisely  as  a  jockey 
examines  a  horse  which  he  is  about  to  barter  for  or 
purchase.  Sometimes  a  man  or  woman  was  taken 
back  to  the  small  house  in  the  yard,  stripped,  and  in- 
spected more  minutely.  Scars  upon  a  slave's  back 
were  considered  evidence  of  a  rebellious  or  unruly 
spirit,  and  hurt  his  sale. 

One  old  gentleman,  who  said  he  wanted  a  coach- 
man, appeared  to  take  a  fancy  to  me.  From  his  con- 
versation with  Burch,  I  learned  he  was  a  resident  in 
the  city.  I  very  much  desired  that  he  would  buy  me, 
because  I  conceived  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  make 
rny  escape  from  [New-Orleans  on  some  northern  vessel. 
Freeman  asked  him  fifteen  hundred  dollars  for  me. 
The  old  gentleman  insisted  it  was  too  much,  as  times 
were  very  hard.  Freeman,  however,  declared  that  I 
was  sound  and  healthy,  of  a  good  constitution,  and 
intelligent.  He  made  it  a  point  to  enlarge  upon  my 
musical  attainments.  The  old  gentleman  argued 
quite  adroitly  that  there  was  nothing  extraordinary 
about  the  nigger,  and  finally,  to  my  regret,  went  out, 
saying  he  would  call  again.  During  the  day,  how- 
ever, a  number  of  sales  were  made.  David  and  Car- 
oline were  purchased  together  by  a  Natchez  planter. 
They  left  us,  grinning  broadly,  and  in  the  most  happy 
state  of  mind,  caused  by  the  fact  of  their  not  being  sep- 
arated. Lethe  was  sold  to  a  planter  of  Baton  Rouge, 
her  eyes  flashing  with  anger  as  she  was  led  away. 

The  same  man  also  purchased  Randall.  The  little 
fellow  was  made  to  jump,  and  run  across  the  floor, 


PARTING   OF   RANDALL   AND    ELIZA.  81 

and  perform  many  other  feats,  exhibiting  his  activity 
and  condition.  All  the  time  the  trade  was  going  on, 
Eliza  was  crying  aloud,  and  wringing  her  hands.  She 
besought  the  man  not  to  buy  him,  unless  he  also 
bought  herself  and  Emily.  She  promised,  in  that  case, 
to  be  the  most  faithful  slave  that  ever  lived.  The 
man  answered  that  he  could  not  afford  it,  and  then 
Eliza  burst  into  a  paroxysm  of  grief,  weeping  plain- 
tively. Freeman  turned  round  to  her,  savagely,  with 
his  whip  in  his  uplifted  hand,  ordering  her  to  stop  her 
noise,  or  he  would  flog  her.  He  would  not  have  such 
work  —  such  snivelling;  and  unless  she  ceased  that 
minute,  he  would  take  her  to  the  yard  and  give  her  a 
hundred  lashes.  Yes,  he  would  take  the  nonsense  out 
of  her  pretty  quick  —  if  he  didn't,  might  he  be  d — d. 
Eliza  shrunk  before  him,  and  tried  to  wipe  away  kei 
tears,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  She  wanted  to  be  with 
her  children,  she  said,  the  little  time  she  had  to  live. 
All  the  frowns  and  threats  of  Freeman,  could  not 
wholly  silence  the  afflicted  mother.  She  kept  on  beg- 
ging and  beseeching  them,  most  piteously,  not  to  sep- 
arate the  three.  Over  and  over  ao;ain  she  told  them 
how  she  loved  her  boy.  A  great  many  times  she 
repeated  her  former  promises — how  very  faithful  and 
obedient  she  would  be  ;  how  hard  she  would  labor 
day  and  night,  to  the  last  moment  of  her  life,  if  he 
would  only  buy  them  all  together.  But  it  was  of  no 
avail ;  the  man  could  not  afford  it.  The  bargain  was 
agreed  upon,  and  Randall  must  go  alone.  Then  Eli- 
za, ran  to  him ;  embraced  him  passionately ;  kissed 


82  TWELVE   YEARS    A    SLATE. 

him  again  and  again;  told  him  to  remember  her — ■ 
all  the  while  her  tears  falling  in  the  boy's  face  like  rain. 

Freeman  damned  her,  calling  her  a  blubbering, 
bawling  wench,  and  ordered  her  to  go  to  her  place, 
and  behave  herself,  and  be  somebody.  He  swore  he 
wouldn't  stand  such  stuff  but  a  little  longer.  He 
would  soon  give  her  something  to  cry  about,  if  she 
was  not  mighty  careful,  and  that  she  might  depend 
upon. 

The  planter  from  Baton  Rouge,  with  his  new  pur- 
chases, was  ready  to  depart. 

"  Don't  cry,  mama.  I  will  be  a  good  boy.  Don't 
cry,"  said  Randall,  looking  back,  as  they  passed  out 
of  the  door. 

"What  has  become  of  the  lad,  God  knows.  It  was 
a  mournful  scene  indeed.  I  wTould  have  cried  myself 
if  I  had  dared. 

That  night,  nearly  all  who  came  in  on  the  brig  Or- 
leans, were  taken  ill.  They  complained  of  violent 
pain  in  the  head  and  back.  Little  Emily  —  a  thing 
unusual  with  her  —  cried  constantly.  In  the  morn- 
ing a  physician  was  called  in,  but  was  unable  to  de- 
termine the  nature  of  our  complaint.  While  examin- 
ing me,  and  asking  questions  touching  my  symptoms, 
I  gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  it  was  an  attack  of  small- 
pox—  mentioning  the  fact  of  Robert's  death  as  the 
reason  of  my  belief.  It  might  be  so  indeed,  he  thought, 
and  he  would  send  for  the  head  physician  of  the  hos- 
pital. Shortly,  the  head  physician  came  —  a  small, 
light-haired  man,  whom  they  called  Dr.  Carr.     He 


SMALL-FOX.  83 

pronounced  it  small-pox,  whereupon  there  was  much, 
alarm  throughout  the  yard.  Soon  after  Dr.  Carr  left, 
Eliza,  Emmy,  Harry  and  myself  were  put  into  a  hack 
and  driven  to  the  hospital  —  a  large  white  marble 
building,  standing  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Har- 
ry and  I  were  placed  in  a  room  in  one  of  the  upper 
stories.  I  became  very  sick.  For  three  days  I  was 
entirely  blind.  While  lying  in  this  state  one  day, 
Bob  came  in,  saying  to  Dr.  Can*  that  Freeman  had 
sent  him  over  to  inquire  how  we  were  getting  on. 
Tell  him,  said  the  doctor,  that  Piatt  is  very  bad,  but 
that  if  he  survives  until  nine  o'clock,  he  may  recover. 

I  expected  to  die.  Though  there  was  little  in  the 
prospect  before  me  worth  living  for,  the  near  approach 
of  death  appalled  me.  I  thought  I  could  have  been 
resigned  to  yield  up  my  life  in  the  bosom  of  my  family, 
but  to  expire  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  under  such 
circumstances,  was  a  bitter  reflection. 

There  were  a  great  number  in  the  hospital,  of  both 
sexes,  and  of  all  ages.  In  the  rear  of  the  building 
coffins  were  manufactured.  "When  one  died,  the  bell 
tolled  —  a  signal  to  the  undertaker  to  come  and  bear 
away  the  body  to  the  potter's  field.  Many  times,  each 
day  and  night,  the  tolling  bell  sent  forth  its  melan- 
choly voice,  announcing  another  death.  But  my  time 
had  not  yet  come.  The  crisis  having  passed,  I  began  to 
revive,  and  at  the  end  of  two  weeks  and  two  days, 
returned  with  Harry  to  the  pen,  bearing  upon  my 
face  the  effects  of  the  malady,  which  to  this  day  con- 
tinues to  disfigure  it.     Eliza  and  Emily  were  also 


84  TWELVE   YEARS    A   SLAVE. 

brought  back  next  day  in  a  hack,  and  again  were  we 
paraded  in  the  sales-room,  for  the  inspection  and  ex- 
amination of  purchasers.  I  still  indulged  the  hope 
that  the  old  gentleman  in  search  of  a  coachman  would 
call  again,  as  he  had  promised,  and  purchase  me.  In 
that  event  I  felt  an  abiding  confidence  that  I  would 
soon  regain  my  liberty.  Customer  after  customer 
entered,  but  the  old  gentleman  never  made  his  ap- 
pearance. 

At  length,  one  day,  while  we  were  in  the  yard, 
Freeman  came  out  and  ordered  us  to  our  places,  in 
the  great  room.  A  gentleman  was  waiting  for  us  as 
we  entered,  and  inasmuch  as  he  will  be  often  men- 
tioned in  the  progress  of  this  narrative,  a  description 
of  his  personal  appearance,  and  my  estimation  of  his 
character,  at  first  sight,  may  not  be  out  of  place. 

He  was  a  man  above  the  ordinary  height,  some- 
what bent  and  stooping  forward.  He  was  a  good- 
looking  man,  and  appeared  to  have  reached  about  the 
middle  age  of  life.  There  was  nothing  repulsive  in 
his  presence  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  there  was  some- 
thing cheerful  and  attractive  in  his  face,  and  in  his 
tone  of  voice.  The  finer  elements  were  all  kindly 
mingled  in  his  breast,  as  any  one  could  see.  He 
moved  about  among  us,  asking  many  questions,  as  to 
what  we  could  do,  and  what  labor  we  had  been  ac- 
customed to  ;  if  we  thought  we  would  like  to  live 
with  him,  and  would  be  good  boys  if  he  would  buy 
us,  and  other  interrogatories  of  like  character. 

After  some  further  inspection,  and  conversation 


eliza's  parting  fkom  emilt.  85 

touching  prices,  he  finally  offered  Freeman  one  thou- 
sand dollars  for  me,  nine  hundred  for  Harry,  and  sev- 
en hundred  for  Eliza.  Whether  the  small-pox  had 
depreciated  our  value,  or  from  what  cause  Freeman 
had  concluded  to  fall  five  hundred  dollars  from  the 
price  I  was  before  held  at,  I  cannot  say.  At  any  rate, 
after  a  little  shrewd  reflection,  he  announced  his  ac- 
ceptance of  the  offer. 

As  soon  as  Eliza  heard  it,  she  was  in  an  agony 
again.  By  this  time  she  had  become  haggard  and 
hollow-eyed  with  sickness  and  with  sorrow.  It  would 
be  a  relief  if  I  could  consistently  pass  over  in  silence 
the  scene  that  now  ensued.  It  recalls  memories  more 
mournful  and  affecting  than  any  language  can  por- 
tray. I  have  seen  mothers  kissing  for  the  last  time 
the  faces  of  their  dead  offspring  ;  I  have  seen  them 
looking  down  into  the  grave,  as  the  earth  fell  with  a 
dull  sound  upon  their  coffins,  hiding  them  from  their 
eyes  forever ;  but  never  have  I  seen  such  an  exhibi- 
tion of  intense,  unmeasured,  and  unbounded  grief,  as 
when  Eliza  was  parted  from  her  child.  She  broke 
from  her  place  in  the  line  of  women,  and  rushing  down 
where  Emily  was  standing,  caught  her  in  her  arms. 
The  child,  sensible  of  some  impending  danger,  instinct- 
ively fastened  her  hands  around  her  mother's  neck, 
and  nestled  her  little  head  upon  her  bosom.  Free- 
man sternly  ordered  her  to  be  quiet,  but  she  did  not 
heed  him.  He  caught  her  by  the  arm  and  pulled  her 
rudely,  but  she  only  clung  the  closer  to  the  child. 
Then,  with  a  volley  of  great  oaths,  he  struck  her  such 


bb  TWELVE   YEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

a  heartless  blow,  that  she  staggered  backward,  and 
was  like  to  fall.  Oh  !  how  piteously  then  did  she  be- 
seech and  beg  and  pray  that  they  might  not  be  sepa- 
rated. Why  could  they  not  be  purchased  together  ? 
Why  not  let  her  have  one  of  her  dear  children  ? 
"  Mercy,  mercy,  master  !  "  she  cried,  falling  on  her 
knees.  "  Please,  master,  buy  Emily.  I  can  never 
work  any  if  she  is  taken  from  me  :  I  will  die." 

Freeman  interfered  again,  but,  disregarding  him, 
she  still  plead  most  earnestly,  telling  how  Randall  had 
been  taken  from  her  —  how  she  never  would  see  him 
again,  and  now  it  was  too  bad  —  oh,  God  !  it  was  too 
bad,  too  cruel,  to  take  her  away  from  Emily  —  her 
pride  —  her  only  darling,  that  could  not  live,  it  was 
so  young,  without  its  mother  ! 

Finally,  after  much  more  of  supplication,  the  pur- 
chaser of  Eliza  stepped  forward,  evidently  affected, 
and  said  to  Freeman  he  would  buy  Emily,  and  asked 
him  what  her  price  was. 

"  What  is  her  price  f  Buy  her  ?"  was  the  respon- 
sive interrogatory  of  Theophilus  Freeman.  And  in- 
stantly answering  his  own  inquiry,  he  added,  "  I  won't 
sell  her.     She's  not  for  sale. 

The  man  remarked  he  was  not  in  need  of  one  so 
young — that  it  would  be  of  no  profit  to  him,  but 
since  the  mother  was  so  fond  of  her,  rather  than  see 
them  separated,  he  would  pay  a  reasonable  price. 
But  to  this  humane  proposal  Freeman  was  entirely 
deaf.  He  would  not  sell  her  then  on  any  account 
whatever.     There  were  heaps  and  piles  of  money  to 


FREEMAN   REFUSES   TO    SELL   EMILY.  87 

be  made  of  her,  lie  said,  when  she  was  a  few  years 
older.  There  were  men  enough  in  New-Orleans  who 
would  give  five  thousand  dollars  for  such  an  extra, 
handsome,  fancy  piece  as  Emily  would  be,  rather  than 
not  get  her.  lS"o,  no,  he  would  not  sell  her  then. 
She  was  a  beauty  —  a  picture  —  a  doll  — ■  one  of  the 
regular  bloods  —  none  of  your  thick-lipped,  bullet- 
headed,  cotton-picking  niggers  —  if  she  was  might  he 
be  d— d. 

When  Eliza  heard  Freeman's  determination  not  to 
part  with  Emily,  she  became  absolutely  frantic. 

"  I  will  not  go  without  her.  They  shall  not  take 
her  from  me,"  she  fairly  shrieked,  her  shrieks  com- 
mingling with  the  loud  and  angry  voice  of  Freeman, 
commanding  her  to  be  silent. 

Meantime  Harry  and  myself  had  been  to  the  yard 
and  returned  with  our  blankets,  and  were  at  the  front 
door  ready  to  leave.  Our  purchaser  stood  near  us, 
gazing  at  Eliza  with  an  expression  indicative  of  re- 
gret at  having  bought  her  at  the  expense  of  so  much 
sorrow.  "We  waited  some  time,  when,  finally,  Free- 
man, out  of  patience,  tore  Emily  from  her  mother  by 
main  force,  the  two  clinging  to  each  other  with  all 
their  might. 

"  Don't  leave  me,  mama  —  don't  leave  me,"  scream- 
ed the  child,  as  its  mother  was  pushed  harshly  for- 
ward ;  "  Don't  leave  me — come  back,  mama,"  she  still 
cried,  stretching  forth  her  little  arms  imploringly. 
But  she  cried  in  vain.  Out  of  the  door  and  into  the 
street  we  were  quickly  hurried.     Still  we  could  hear 


88  TWELVE   TEARS   A  SLAVE. 

her  calling  to  her  mother,  "  Comeback  —  don't  leave 
me  —  come  back,  mama,"  until  her  infant  voice  grew 
faint  and  still  more  faint,  and  gradually  died  away, 
as  distance  intervened,  and  finally  was  wholly  lost. 

Eliza  never  after  saw  or  heard  of  Emily  or  Randall. 
Day  nor  night,  however,  were  they  ever  absent  from 
her  memory.  In  the  cotton  field,  in  the  cabin,  al- 
ways and  everywhere,  she  was  talking  of  them — often 
to  them,  as  if  they  were  actuall}r  present.  Only 
when  absorbed  in  that  illusion,  or  asleep,  did  she  ever 
have  a  moment's  comfort  afterwards. 

She  was  no  common  slave,  as  has  been  said.  To  a 
large  share  of  natural  intelligence  which  she  possess- 
ed, was  added  a  general  knowledge  and  information 
on  most  subjects.  She  had  enjoyed  opportunities  such 
as  are  afforded  to  very  few  of  her  oppressed  class. 
She  had  been  lifted  up  into  the  regions  of  a  higher 
life.  Freedom  —  freedom  for  herself  and  for  her  off- 
spring, for  many  years  had  been  her  cloud  by  day, 
her  pillar  of  fire  by  night.  In  her  pilgrimage  through 
the  wilderness  of  bondage,  with  eyes  fixed  upon  that 
hope-inspiring  beacon,  she  had  at  length  ascended  to 
"  the  top  of  Pisgah,"  and  beheld  "  the  land  of  prom- 
ise." In  an  unexpected  moment  she  was  utterly  over- 
whelmed with  disappointment  and  despair.  The  glo- 
rious vision  of  liberty  faded  from  her  sight  as  they  led 
her  away  into  captivity.  ISTow  "  she  weepeth  sore  in 
the  night,  and  tears  are  on  her  cheeks  :  all  her  friends 
have  dealt  treacherously  with  her :  they  have  become 
her  enemies." 


WjitoUk; 


SEPERATION    OF    ELIZA    AXD    HER   LAST   CHILD. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    STEAMBOAT   RODOLPH DEPARTURE    FROM     NEW-ORLEANS "WILLIAM 

FORD ARRIVAL    AT    ALEXANDRIA,  ON    RED    RIVER RESOLUTIONS THE 

GREAT   PINE   WOODS WILD    CATTLE MARTIN'S    SUMMER    RESIDENCE 

THE    TEXAS     ROAD ARRIVAL     AT     MASTER     FORD'S ROSE MISTRESS 

FORD SALLY,  AND    HER    CHILDREN JOHN,    THE   COOK WALTER,  SAM, 

AND      ANTONY THE      MILLS      ON      INDIAN     CREEK SABBATH     DAYS 

SAM'S    CONVERSION THE   PROFIT    OF  KINDNESS RAFTING ADAM  TAT- 

DEM,  THE    LITTLE  WHITE    MAN CASCALLA    AND    HIS  TRIBE THE  INDIAN 

BALL JOHN    M.  TIBEATS THE   STORM    APPROACHING. 

On  leaving  the  New-Orleans  slave  pen,  Harry  and 
I  followed  our  new  master  through  the  streets,  while 
Eliza,  crying  and  turning  back,  was  forced  along  by 
Freeman  and  his  minions,  until  we  found  ourselves  on 
board  the  steamboat  Rodolph,  then  lying  at  the  levee. 
In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  we  were  moving  briskly 
up  the  Mississippi,  bound  for  some  point  on  Red  Riv- 
er. There  were  quite  a  number  of  slaves  on  board 
beside  ourselves,  just  purchased  in  the  New-Orleans 
market.  I  remember  a  Mr.  Kelso w,  who  was  said  to 
be  a  well  known  and  extensive  planter,  had  in  charge 
a  gang  of  women. 

Our  master's  name  was  William  Ford.  He  resided 
then  in  the  "  Great  Pine  TVoods,"  in  the  parish  of 
Avoyelles,  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  Red  River, 


90  TWELVE    YEAKS    A    SLATE. 

in  the  heart  of  Louisiana.  He  is  now  a  Baptist 
preacher.  Throughout  the  whole  parish  of  Avoyelles, 
and  especially  along  both  shores  of  Bayou  Boeuf, 
where  he  is  more  intimately  known,  he  is  accounted 
by  his  fellow-citizens  as  a  worthy  minister  of  God. 
In  many  northern  minds,  perhaps,  the  idea  of  a  man 
holding  his  brother  man  in  servitude,  and  the  traffic 
in  human  flesh,  may  seem  altogether  incompatible 
with  their  conceptions  of  a  moral  or  religious  life. 
From  descriptions  of  such  men  as  Burch  and  Freeman, 
and  others  hereinafter  mentioned,  they  are  led  to  de- 
spise and  execrate  the  whole  class  of  slaveholders,  in- 
discriminately. But  I  was  sometime  his  slave,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  learning  well  his  character  and 
disposition,  and  it  is  but  simple  justice  to  him  when  1 
»  say,  in  my  opinion,  there  never  was  a  more  kind,  no- 
ble, candid,  Christian  man  than  William  Ford.  The 
influences  and  associations  that  had  always  surround- 
ed him,  blinded  him  to  the  inherent  wrong  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  system  of  Slavery.  He  never  doubted  the 
moral  right  of  one  man  holding  another  in  subjection. 
Looking  through  the  same  medium  with  his  fathers 
before  him,  he  saw  things  in  the  same  light.  Brought 
up  under  other  circumstances  and  other  influences, 
his  notions  would  undoubtedly  have  been  different. 
Nevertheless,  he  was  a  model  master,  walking  up- 
rightly, according  to  the  light  of  his  understanding, 
and  fortunate  was  the  slave  who  came  to  his  posses- 
sion. Were  all  men  such  as  he,  Slavery  would  be  de- 
prived of  more  than  half  its  bitterness. 


WILLIAM   FOED.  91 

"We  were  two  days  and  three  nights  on  board  the 
steamboat  Rodolph,  during  which  time  nothing  of 
particular  interest  occurred.  I  was  now  known  as 
Piatt,  the  name  given  me  by  Burch,  and  by  which  I 
was  designated  through  the  whole  period  of  my  ser- 
vitude. Eliza  was  sold  by  the  name  of  "  Dradey." 
She  was  so  distinguished  in  the  conveyance  to  Ford, 
now  on  record  in  the  recorder's  office  in  ISTew-Or- 
leans. 

On  our  passage  I  was  constantly  reflecting  on  my  sit- 
uation, and  consulting  with  myself  on  the  best  course 
to  pursue  in  order  to  effect  my  ultimate  escape. 
Sometimes,  not  only  then,  but  afterwards,  I  was  al- 
most on  the  point  of  disclosing  fully  to  Ford  the  facts 
of  my  history.  I  am  inclined  now  to  the  opinion  it 
would  have  resulted  in  my  benefit.  This  course  was 
often  considered,  but  through  fear  of  its  miscarriage, 
never  put  into  execution,  until  eventually  my  transfer 
and  his  pecuniary  embarrassments  rendered  it  evi- 
dently unsafe.  Afterwards,  under  other  masters,  un- 
like William  Ford,  I  knew  well  enough  the  slightest 
knowledge  of  my  real  character  would  consign  me  at 
once  to  the  remoter  depths  of  Slavery.  I  was  too 
costly  a  chattel  to  be  lost,  and  was  well  aware  that  I 
would  be  taken  farther  on,  into  some  by-place,  over 
the  Texan  border,  perhaps,  and  sold  ;  that  I  would  be 
disposed  of  as  the  thief  disposes  of  his  stolen  horse,  if 
my  right  to  freedom  was  even  whispered.  So  I  re- 
solved to  lock  the  secret  closely  in  my  heart  —  never 
to  utter  one  word  or  syllable  as  to  who  or  what  I  was 


92  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

—  trusting  in  Providence  and  my  own  shrewdness  for 
deliverance. 

At  length  Ave  left  the  steamboat  Rodolph  at  a  place 
called  Alexandria,  several  hundred  miles  from  Kew- 
Orleans.  It  is  a  small  town  on  the  southern  shore 
of  lied  River.  Having  remained  there  over  night, 
we  entered  the  morning  train  of  cars,  and  were  soon 
at  Bayou  Lamourie,  a  still  smaller  place,  distant 
eighteen  miles  from  Alexandria.  At  that  time  it  was 
the  termination  of  the  railroad.  Ford's  plantation 
was  situated  on  the  Texas  road,  twelve  miles  from 
Lamourie,  in  the  Great  Pine  Woods.  This  distance,  it 
was  announced  to  us,  must  be  traveled  on  foot,  there 
being  public  conveyances  no  farther.  Accordingly 
we  all  set  out  in  the  company  of  Ford.  It  was  an  ex- 
cessively hot  day.  Harry,  Eliza,  and  myself  were  yet 
weak,  and  the  bottoms  of  our  feet  were  very  tender 
from  the  effects  of  the  small-pox.  We  proceeded 
slowly,  Ford  telling  us  to  take  our  time  and  sit  clown 
and  rest  whenever  we  desired  —  a  privilege  that  was 
taken  advantage  of  quite  frequently.  After  leaving 
Lamourie  and  crossing  two  plantations,  one  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Carnell,  the  other  to  a  Mr.  Flint,  we  reach- 
ed the  Pine  Woods,  a  wilderness  that  stretches  to  the 
Sabine  River.  •    . 

The  whole  country  about  Red  River  is  low  and 
marshy.  The  Pine  Woods,  as  they  are  called,  is  com- 
paratively upland,  with  frequent  small  intervals,  how- 
ever, running  through  them.  This  upland  is  covered 
with  numerous  trees  —  the  white  oak,  the  chincopin, 


AERTVAX,   AT    ALEXANDRIA.  V6 

resembling  chestnut,  but  principally  the  yellow  pine. 
They  are  of  great  size,  running  up  sixty  feet,  and  per- 
fectly straight.  The  woods  were  full  of  cattle,  very 
shy  and  wild,  dashing  away  in  herds,  with  a  loud 
snuff,  at  our  approach.  Some  of  them  were  marked 
or  branded,  the  rest  appeared  to  be  in  their  wild  and 
untamed  state.  They  are  much  smaller  than  northern 
breeds,  and  the  peculiarity  about  them  that  most  at- 
tracted my  attention  was  their  horns.  They  stand 
out  from  the  sides  of  the  head  precisely  straight,  like 
two  iron  spikes. 

At  noon  we  reached  a  cleared  piece  of  ground  con- 
taining three  or  four  acres.  Upon  it  was  a  small,  un- 
painted,  wooden  house,  a  corn  crib,  or,  as  we  would 
say,  a  barn,  and  a  log  kitchen,  standing  about  a  rod 
from  the  house.  It  was  the  summer  residence  of  Mr. 
Martin.  Rich  planters,  having  large  establishments 
on  Bayou  Boeuf,  are  accustomed  to  spend  the  warmer 
season  in  these  woods.  Here  they  find  clear  water 
and  delightful  shades.  In  fact,  these  retreats  are  to 
the  planters  of  that  section  of  the  country  what  New- 
port and  Saratoga  are  to  the  wealthier  inhabitants  of 
northern  cities. 

We  were  sent  around  into  the  kitchen,  and  supplied 
with  sweet  potatoes,  corn-bread,  and  bacon,  while 
Master  Ford  dined  with  Martin  in  the  house.  There 
were  several  slaves  about  the  premises.  Martin  came 
out  and  took  a  look  at  us,  asking  Ford  the  price  of 
each,  if  we  were  green  hands,  and  so  forth,  and  making 
inquiries  in  relation  to  the  slave  market  generally 


94:  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

After  a  long  rest  we  set  forth  again,  following  tne 
Texas  road,  which  had  the  appearance  of  being  very 
rarely  traveled.  For  five  miles  we  passed  through 
continuous  woods  without  observing  a  single  habita- 
tion. At  length,  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  in  the 
west,  we  entered  another  opening,  containing  some 
twelve  or  fifteen  acres. 

In  this  opening  stood  a  house  much  larger  than  Mr. 
Martin's.  It  was  two  stories  high,  with  a  piazza  in 
front.  In  the  rear  of  it  was  also  a  log  kitchen,  poul- 
try house,  corncribs,  and  several  negro  cabins.  Near 
the  house  was  a  peach  orchard,  and  gardens  of  orange 
and  pomegranate  trees.  The  space  was  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  woods,  and  covered  with  a  carpet  of  rich, 
rank  verdure.  It  was  a  quiet,  lonely,  pleasant  place 
—  literally  a  green  spot  in  the  wilderness.  It  was  the 
residence  of  my  master,  "William  Ford. 

As  we  approached,  a  yellow  girl  —  her  name  was 
Rose  —  was  standing  on  the  piazza.  Going  to  the 
door,  she  called  her  mistress,  who  presently  came  run- 
ning out  to  meet  her  lord.  She  kissed  him,  and 
laughingly  demanded  if  he  had  bought  "  those  nig- 
gers." Ford  said  he  had,  and  told  us  to  go  round  to 
Sally's  cabin  and  rest  ourselves.  Turning  the  corner 
of  the  house,  we  discovered  Sally  washing — her  two 
baby  children  near  her,  rolling  on  the  grass.  They 
jumped  up  and  toddled  towards  us,  looked  at  us  a 
moment  like  a  brace  of  rabbits,  then  ran  back  to  their 
mother  as  if  afraid  of  us. 

Sally  conducted  us  into  the  cabin,  told  us  to  lay  down 


ARRIVAL   AT   MASTER   FORD'S.  95 

our  bundles  and  be  seated,  for  sbe  was  sure  that  we  were 
tired.  Just  then  John,  the  cook,  a  boy  some  sixteen 
years  of  age,  and  blacker  than  any  crow,  came  run- 
ning in,  looked  steadily  in  our  faces,  then  turning 
round,  without  saying  as  much  as  "how  d'ye  do," 
ran  back  to  the  kitchen,  laughing  loudly,  as  if  our 
coming  was  a  great  joke  indeed. 

Much  wearied  with  our  walk,  as  soon  as  it  was 
dark,  Harry  and  I  wrapped  our  blankets  round  us, 
and  laid  down  upon  the  cabin  floor.  My  thoughts, 
as  usual,  wandered  back  to  my  wife  and  children. 
The  consciousness  of  my  real  situation  ;  the  hopeless- 
ness of  any  effort  to  escape  through  the  wide  forests 
of  Avoyelles,  pressed  heavily  upon  me,  yet  my  heart 
was  at  home  in  Saratoga. 

I  was  awakened  early  in  the  morning  by  the  voice 
of  Master  Ford,  calling  Rose.  She  hastened  into  the 
house  to  dress  the  children,  Sally  to  the  field  to  milk 
the  cows,  while  John  was  busy  in  the  kitchen  prepar- 
ing breakfast.  In  the  meantime  Harry  and  I  were 
strolling  about  the  yard,  looking  at  our  new  quarters. 
Just  after  breakfast  a  colored  man,  driving  three  yoke 
of  oxen,  attached  to  a  wagon  load  of  lumber,  drove 
into  the  opening.  He  was  a  slave  of  Ford's,  named 
Walton,  the  husband  of  Rose.  By  the  way,  Rose  was 
a  native  of  Washington,  and  had  been  brought  from 
thence  live  years  before.  She  had  never  seen  Eliza, 
but  she  had  heard  of  Berry,  and  they  knew  the  same 
streets,  and  the  same  people,  either  personally,  or  by 
reputation.     They  became  fast  friends  immediately, 


96  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLATE. 

and  talked  a  great  deal  together  of  old  times,  and  of 
friends  they  had  left  behind. 

Ford  was  at  that  time  a  wealthy  man.  Besides  his 
seat  in  the  Pine  "Woods,  he  owned  a  large  lumbering 
establishment  on  Indian  Creek,  four  miles  distant,  and 
also,  in  his  wife's  right,  an  extensive  plantation  and 
many  slaves  on  Bayou  Bceuf. 

"Walton  had  come  with  his  load  of  lumber  from  the 
mills  on  Indian  Creek.  Ford  directed  us  to  return 
with  him,  saying  he  would  follow  us  as  soon  as  possible. 
Before  leaving,  Mistress  Ford  called  me  into  the  store- 
room, and  handed  me,  as  it  is  there  termed,  a  tin 
bucket  of  molasses  for  Harry  and  myself. 

Eliza  was  still  ringing  her  hands  and  deploring  the 
loss  of  her  children.  Ford  tried  as  much  as  possible 
to  console  her  —  told  her  she  need  not  work  very  hard ; 
that  she  might  remain  with  Rose,  and  assist  the  mad- 
am in  the  house  affairs. 

Biding  with  Walton  in  the  wagon,  Harry  and  I  be- 
came quite  well  acquainted  with  him  long  before 
reaching  Indian  Creek.  He  was  a  "  born  thrall  "  of 
"*  Ford's,  and  spoke  kindly  and  affectionately  of  him,  as 
a  child  would  speak  of  his  own  father.  In  answer  to 
his  inquiries  from  whence  I  came,  I  told  him  from 
Washington.  Of  that  city,  he  had  heard  much  from 
his  wife,  Hose,  and  all  the  way  plied  me  with  many 
extravagant  and  absurd  questions. 

On  reaching  the  mills  at  Indian  Creek,  we  found 
two  more  of  Ford's  slaves,  Sam  and  Antony.  Sam, 
also,  was  a  Washingtonian,  haTing  been  brought  out 


SABBATH  DATS.  97 

in  the  same  gang  with  Rose.  He  had  worked  on  a 
farm  near  Georgetown.  Antony  was  a  blacksmith, 
from  Kentucky,  who  had  been  in  his  present  master's 
service  about  ten  years.  Sam  knew  Burch,  and  when 
informed  that  he  was  the  trader  who  had  sent  me  on 
from  "Washington,  it  was  remarkable  how  well  we 
agreed  upon  the  subject  of  his  superlative  rascality. 
He  had  forwarded  Sam,  also. 

On  Ford's  arrival  at  the  mill,  we  were  employed  in 
piling  lumber,  and  chopping  logs,  which  occupation 
we  continued  during  the  remainder  of  the  summer. 

"We  usually  spent  our  Sabbaths  at  the  opening,  on  f 
which  days  our  master  would  gather  all  his  slaves 
about  him,  and  read  and  expound  the  Scriptures. 
He  sought  to  inculcate  in  our  minds  feelings  of  kind- 
ness towards  each  other,  of  dependence  upon  God  — 
setting  forth  the  rewards  promised  unto  those  who 
lead  an  upright  and  prayerful  life.  Seated  in  tho 
doorway  of  his  house,  surrounded  by  his  man-ser- 
vants and  his  maid-servants,  who  looded  earnestly  into 
the  good  man's  face,  he  spoke  of  the  loving  kindness 
of  the  Creator,  and  of  the  life  that  is  to  come.  Often 
did  the  voice  of  prayer  ascend  from  his  lips  to  heaven, 
the  only  sound  that  broke  the  solitude  of  the  place. 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  Sam  became  deeply 
convicted,  his  mind  dwelling  intensely  on  the  subject 
of  religion.  His  mistress  gave  him  a  Bible,  which 
he  carried  with  him  to  his  work.  WTiatever  leisure 
time  was  allowed  him,  he  spent  in  perusing  it,  though 
it  was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  he  could  master 


98  TWELVE    YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

any  part  of  it.  I  often  read  to  him,  a  favor  which  he 
well  repaid  me  by  many  expressions  of  gratitude. 
Sam's  piety  was  frequently  observed  by  white  men 
who  came  to  the  mill,  and  the  remark  it  most  gener- 
ally provoked  was,  that  a  man  like  Ford,  who  allowed 
his  slaves  to  have  Bibles,  was  "  not  fit  to  own  a  nigger." 

•  He,  however,  lost  nothing  by  his  kindness.  It  is 
a  fact  I  have  more  than  once  observed,  that  those  who 
treated  their  slaves  most  leniently,  were  rewarded  by 
the  greatest  amount  of  labor.  I  know  it  from  my 
own  experience.     It  was  a  source  of  pleasure  to  sur- 

1  prise  Master  Ford  with  a  greater  day's  work  than  was 
required,  while,  under  subsequent  masters,  there  was    * 
no  prompter  to  extra  effort  but  the  overseer's  lash. 

It  was  the  desire  of  Ford's  approving  voice  that 
suggested  to  me  an  idea  that  resulted  to  his  profit. 
The  lumber  we  were  manufacturing  was  contracted 
to  be  delivered  at  Lamourie.  It  had  hitherto  been 
transported  by  land,  and  was  an  important  item  of 
expense.  Indian  Creek,  upon  which  the  mills  were 
situated,  was  a  narrow  but  deep  stream  emptying  into 
Bayou  Boeuf.  In  some  places  it  was  not  more  than 
twelve  feet  wide,  and  much  obstructed  with  trunks  of 
trees.  Bayou  Boeuf  was  connected  with  Bayou  Lamou- 
rie. I  ascertained  the  distance  from  the  mills  to  the 
point  on  the  latter  bayou,  where  our  lumber  was  to  be 
delivered,  was  but  a  few  miles  less  by  land  than  by 
water.  Provided  the  creek  could  be  made  navigable 
for  rafts,  it  occurred  to  me  that  the  expense  of  trans- 
portation would  be  materially  diminished. 


ADAM  TATDEM.  99 

Adam  Taydem,  a  little  white  man,  who  had  been  a 
soldier  in  Florida,  and  had  strolled  into  that  distant 
region,  was  foreman  and  superintendent  of  the  mills. 
He  scouted  the  idea ;  but  Ford,  when  I  laid  it  before 
him,  received  it  favorably,  and  permitted  me  to  try 
the  experiment. 

Having  removed  the  obstructions,  I  made  up  a  nar- 
row raft,  consisting  of  twelve  cribs.  At  this  business 
I  think  I  was  quite  skillful,  not  having  forgotten  my 
experience  years  before  on  the  Champlain  canal.  I 
labored  hard,  being  extremely  anxious  to  succeed, 
both  from  a  desire  to  please  my  master,  and  to  show 
Adam  Taydem  that  my  scheme  was  not  such  a  vis- 
ionary one  as  he  incessantly  pronounced  it.  One 
hand  could  manage  three  cribs.  I  took  charge"of  the 
forward  three,  and  commenced  poling  down  the 
creek.  In  due  time  we  entered  the  first  bayou,  and 
finally  reached  our  destination  in  a  shorter  period 
of  time  than  I  had  anticipated. 

The  arrival  of  the  raft  at  Lamourie  created  a  sen- 
sation, while  Mr.  Ford  loaded  me  with  commenda- 
tions. On  all  sides  I  heard  Ford's  Piatt  pronounced 
the  "  smartest  nigger  in  the  Pine  Woods"  —  in  fact 
I  was  the  Fulton  of  Indian  Creek.  I  was  not  insen- 
sible to  the  praise  bestowed  upon  me,  and  enjoyed, 
especially,  my  triumph  over  Taydem,  whose  half- 
malicious  ridicule  had  stung  my  pride.  From  this 
time  the  entire  control  of  bringing  the  lumber  to 
Lamourie  was  placed  in  my  hands  until  the  contract 
was  fulfilled. 


100  TWELVE   YEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

Indian  Creek,  in  its  whole  length,  flows  through  a 
magnificent  forest.  There  dwells  on  its  shore  a  tribe 
of  Indians,  a  remnant  of  the  Chickasaws  or  Chick- 
opees,  if  I  remember  rightly.  They  live  in  simple 
huts,  ten  or  twelve  feet  square,  constructed  of  pine 
poles  and  covered  with  bark.  They  subsist  princi- 
pally on  the  flesh  of  the  deer,  the  coon,  and  opos- 
sum, all  of  which  are  plenty  in  these  woods.  Some- 
times they  exchange  venison  for  a  little  corn  and 
whisky  with  the  planters  on  the  bayous.  Their 
usual  dress  is  buckskin  breeches  and  calico  hunting 
shirts  of  fantastic  colors,  buttoned  from  belt  to  chin. 
They  wear  brass  rings  on  their  wrists,  and  in  their 
ears  and  noses.  The  dress  of  the  squaws  is  very 
similar.  They  are  fond  of  dogs  and  horses  —  owning 
many  of  the  latter,  of  a  small,  tough  breed — and 
are  skillful  riders.  Their  bridles,  girths  and  saddles 
were  made  of  raw  skins  of  animals ;  their  stirrups 
of  a  certain  kind  of  wood.  Mounted  astride  their 
ponies,  men  and  women,  I  have  seen  them  dash  out 
into  the  woods  at  the  utmost  of  their  speed,  following 
narrow  winding  paths,  and  dodging  trees,  in  a  man- 
ner that  eclipsed  the  most  miraculous  feats  of  civil- 
ized equestrianism.  Circling  away  in  various  direc- 
tions, the  forest  echoing  and  re-echoing  with  their 
whoops,  they  would  presently  return  at  the  same 
dashing,  headlong  speed  with  which  they  started. 
Their  village  was  on  Indian  Creek,  known  as  Incliaa 
Castle,  but  their  range  extended  to  the  Sabine  River. 
Occasionally  a  tribe  from  Texas  would  come  over  on 


CASCALLA   AND   HIS   TED3E.  101 

a  visit,  and  then  there  was  indeed  a  carnival  in  the 
"  Great  Pine  Woods."  Chief  of  the  tribe  was  Cas- 
calla ;  second  in  rank,  John  Baltese,  his  son-in-law  ; 
with  both  of  whom,  as  with  many  others  of  the  tribe, 
I  became  acquainted  during  my  frequent  voyages 
down  the  creek  with  rafts.  Sam  and  myself  would 
often  visit  them  when  the  day's  task  was  done.  They 
were  obedient  to  the  chief;  the  word  of  Cascalla 
was  their  law.  They  were  a  rude  but  harmless  peo- 
ple, and  enjoyed  their  wild  mode  of  life.  They  had 
little  fancy  for  the  open  country,  the  cleared  lands 
on  the  shores  of  the  bayous,  but  preferred  to  hide 
themselves  within  the  shadows  of  the  forest.  They 
worshiped  the  Great  Spirit,  loved  whisky,  and  were 
happy. 

On  one  occasion  I  was  present  at  a  dance,  when 
a  roving  herd  from  Texas  had  encamped  in  their 
village.  The  entire  carcass  of  a  deer  was  roasting 
before  a  large  fire,  which  threw  its  light  a  long  dis- 
tance among  the  trees  under  which  they  were  assem- 
bled. When  they  had  formed  in  a  ring,  men  and 
squaws  alternately,  a  sort  of  Indian  fiddle  set  up  an 
indescribable  tune.  It  was  a  continuous,  melancholy 
kind  of  wavy  sound,  with  the  slightest  possible  vari- 
ation. At  the  first  note,  if  indeed  there  was  more 
than  one  note  in  the  whole  tune,  they  circled  around, 
trotting  after  each  other,  and  giving  utterance  to  a 
guttural,  sing-song  noise,  equally  as  nondescript  as  the 
music  of  the  fiddle.  At  the  end  of  the  third  circuit, 
they  would  stop  suddenly,  whoop   as  if  their  lungs 


102  TWELVE   YEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

would  crack,  then  break  from  the  ring,  forming  in 
couples,  man  and  squaw,  each  j  limping  backwards  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  other,  then  forwards  —  which 
graceful  feat  having  been  twice  or  thrice  accomplish- 
ed, they  would  form  in  a  ring,  and  go  trotting  round 
again.  The  best  dancer  appeared  to  be  considered 
the  one  who  could  whoop  the  loudest,  jump  the  far- 
thest, and  utter  the  most  excruciating  noise.  At  in- 
tervals, one  or  more  wTould  leave  the  dancing  circle, 
and  going  to  the  fire,  cut  from  the  roasting  carcass  a 
slice  of  venison. 

In  a  hole,  shaped  like  a  mortar,  cut  in  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  they  pounded  corn  with  a  wooden 
pestle,  and  of  the  meal  made  cake.  Alternately  they 
danced  and  ate.  Thus  were  the  visitors  from  Texas 
entertained  by  the  dusky  sons  and  daughters  of  the 
Chicopees,  and  such  is  a  description,  as  I  saw  it,  of 
an  Indian  ball  in  the  Pine  Woods  of  Avoyelles. 

In  the  autumn,  I  left  the  mills,  and  was  employed 
at  the  opening.  One  day  the  mistress  was  urging 
Ford  to  procure  a  loom,  in  order  that  Sally  might 
commence  weaving  cloth  for  the  winter  garments  of 
the  slaves.  He  could  not  imagine  where  one  was  to 
be  found,  when  I  suggested  that  the  easiest  way  to 
get  one  would  be  to  make  it,  informing  him  at  the 
same  time,  that  I  was  a  sort  of  "  Jack  at  all  trades," 
and  would  attempt  it,  with  his  permission.  It  was 
granted  very  readily,  and  I  was  allowed  to  go  to  a 
neighboring  planter's  to  inspect  one  before  commen- 
cing the  undertaking.     At   length  it  was  finished 


JOHN    M,    TIBEATS.  103 

and  pronounced  by  Sally  to  be  perfect,  She  could 
easily  weave  her  task  of  fourteen  yards,  milk  the 
cows,  and  have  leisure  time  besides  each  day.  It 
worked  so  well,  I  was  continued  in  the  employment 
of  making  looms,  which  were  taken  down  to  the 
plantation  on  the  bayou. 

At  this  time  one  John  M.  Tibeats,  a  capenter,  came 
to  the  opening  to  do  some  work  on  master's  house. 
I  was  directed  to  quit  the  looms  and  assist  him.  For 
two  weeks  I  was  in  his  company,  planing  and  match- 
ing boards  for  ceiling,  a  plastered  room  being  a  rare 
thing  in  the  parish  of  Avoyelles. 

John  M.  Tibeats  was  the  opposite  of  Ford  in  all 
respects.  He  was  a  small,  crabbed,  quick-tempered, 
spiteful  man.  He  had  no  fixed  residence  that  I  ever 
heard  of,  but  passed  from  one  plantation  to  another, 
wherever  he  could  find  employment.  He  was  with- 
out standing  in  the  community,  not  esteemed  by 
white  men,  nor  even  respected  by  slaves.  He  was 
ignorant,  withal,  and  of  a  revengeful  disposition.  He 
left  the  parish  long  before  I  did,  and  I  know  not 
whether  he  is  at  present  alive  or  dead.  Certain  it  is, 
it  was  a  most  unlucky  day  for  me  that  brought  us 
together.  During  my  residence  with  Master  Ford  I  ^ 
had  seen  only  the  bright  side  of  slavery.  His  was 
no  heavy  hand  crushing  us  to  the  earth.  He  pointed 
upwards,  and  with  benign  and  cheering  words  ad- 
dressed us  as  his  fellow-mortals,  accountable,  like 
himself,  to  the  MaKer  of  us  all.  I  think  of  him  with 
affection,  and  had  my  family  been  with  me,  could 


104  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

have  "borne  his  gentle  servitude,  without  murmuring, 
all  my  days.  But  clouds  were  gathering  in  the  hori- 
zon—  forerunners  of  a  pitiless  storm  that  was  soon 
to  break  over  me.  I  was  doomed  to  endure  such  bit- 
ter trials  as  the  poor  slave  only  knows,  and  to  lead 
no  more  the  comparatively  happy  life  which  I  had 
led  in  the  "  Great  Pine  "Woods." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FORD'S    EMBARRASSMENTS THE   SALE    TO    TIBEATS TIIE    CHATTEL   MORT- 
GAGE  MISTRESS     FORD'S   PLANTATION    ON    BAYOU   BOIUF DESCRIPTION 

OF   THE    LATTER FORD'S    BROTHER-IN-LAW,     PETER    TANNER MEETING 

WITH  ELIZA SHE  STILL  MOURNS  FOR  HER  CHILDREN FORD'S  OVER- 
SEER,    CHAPIN TIBEAT'S      ABUSE THE     KEG     OF     NAILS THE     FIRST 

FIGHT  WITH  TIBEATS HIS  DISCOMFITURE  AND  CASTIGATION THE  AT- 
TEMPT TO  HANG  ME — 'CHAPIn's  INTERFERENCE  AND  SPEECH UNHAP- 
PY  REFLECTIONS ABRUPT    DEPARTURE   OF   TIBEATS,    COOK    AND    RAMSAY 

LAWSON    AND    THE    BROWN    MULE MESSAGE  TO    THE   PINE   WOODS. 

William  Fokd  unfortunately  became  embarrassed 
in  bis  pecuniary  affairs.  A  beavy  judgment  was  ren- 
dered against  bim  in  consequence  of  bis  liaving  be- 
come security  for  bis  brotber,  Franklin  Ford,  residing 
on  Red  River,  above  Alexandria,  and  wbo  bad  failed 
to  meet  his  liabilities.  He  was  also  indebted  to  John 
M.  Tibeats  to  a  considerable  amount  in  consideration 
of  his  services  in  building  the  mills  on  Indian  Creek, 
and  also  a  weaving-house,  corn-mill  and  other  erec- 
tions on  the  plantation  at  Bayou  Boeuf,  not  yet  com- 
pleted. It  was  therefore  necessary,  in  order  to  meet 
these  demands,  to  dispose  of  eighteen  slaves,  myself 
among  the  number.  Seventeen  of  them,  including 
Sam  and  Harry,  were  purchased  by  Peter  Comptom 

a  planter  also  residing  on  Red  River. 

E* 


106  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

I  was  sold  to  Tibeats,  in  consequence,  undoubtedly, 
of  my  slight  skill  as  a  carpenter.  This  was  in  the 
winter  of  1842.  The  defifi  ff^  myself  from  Freeman 
to  Ford,  as  I  ascertained  from  the  public__re£ords  in 
H:Ieans  on  my  return,    was  dated   June  23d, 


1S1L  iAt  the  time  of  my"saTe~Eoxibeats,  the  price 
agreed  to  be  given  for  me  being  more  than  the  debt, 
Ford  took  a  chattel  mortgage  of  four  hundred  dollars. 
I  am  indebted  for  my  life,  as  will  hereafter  be  seen, 
to  that  mortgage. 

I  bade  farewell  to  my  good  friends  at  the  opening, 
and  departed  with  my  new  master  Tibeats.  "We 
went  down  to  the  plantation  on  Bayou  Boeuf,  distant 
twenty-seven  miles  from  the  Pine  Woods,  to  complete 
the  unfinished  contract.  Bayou  Boeuf  is  a  sluggish, 
winding  stream — one  of  those  stagnant  bodies  of 
water  common  in  that  region,  setting  back  from  Red 
River.  It  stretches  from  a  point  not  far  from  Alex- 
andria, in  a  south-easterly  direction,  and  following  its 
tortuous  course,  is  more  than  fifty  miles  in  length. 
Large  cotton  and  sugar  plantations  line  each  shore, 
extending  back  to  the  borders  of  interminable 
swamps.  It  is  alive  with  aligators,  rendering  it  un- 
safe for  swine,  or  unthinking  slave  children  to  stroll 
along  its  banks.  Upon  a  bend  in  this  bayou,  a  short 
distance  from  Cheney  ville,  was  situated  the  plantation 
of  Madam  Ford  —  her  brother,  Peter  Tanner,  a  great 
landholder,  living  on  the  opposite  side. 

On  my  arrival  at  Bayou  Bceuf,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  Eliza,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  several 


OVERSEER   CHAPIN.  107 

months.  She  had  not  pleased  Mrs.  Ford,  being  more 
occupied  in  brooding  over  her  sorrows  than  in  attend- 
ing to  her  business,  and  had,  in  consequence,  been  sent 
down  to  work  in  the  field  on  the  plantation.  She  had 
grown  feeble  and  emaciated,  and  was  still  mourning 
for  her  children.  She  asked  me  if  I  had  forgotten 
them,  and  a  great  many  times  inquired  if  I  still  re- 
membered how  handsome  little  Emily  was  —  how 
much  Randall  loved  her —  and  wondered  if  they  were 
living  still,  and  where  the  darlings  could  then  be. 
She  had  sunk  beneath  the  weight  of  an  excessive  grief. 
Her  drooping  form  and  hollow  cheeks  too  plainly  indi- 
cated that  she  had  well  nigh  reached  the  end  of  her 
weary  road. 

Ford's  overseer  on  this  plantation,  and  who  had  the 
exclusive  charge  of  it,  was  a  Mr.  Chapin,  a  kindly-dis- 
posed man,  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  In  com- 
mon with  others,  he  held  Tibeats  in  light  estimation, 
which  fact,  in  connection  with  the  four  hundred  dol- 
lar mortgage,  was  fortunate  for  me. 

I  was  now  compelled  to  labor  very  hard.  From 
earliest  dawn  until  late  at  night,  I  was  not  allowed  to 
be  a  moment  idle.  Notwithstanding  which,  Tibeats 
was  never  satisfied.  He  was  continually  cursing  and 
complaining.  He  never  spoke  to  me  a  kind  word.  I 
was  his  faithful  slave,  and  earned  him  large  wages 
every  day,  and  yet  I  went  to  my  cabin  nightly,  loaded 
with  abuse  and  stinging  epithets. 

"We  had  completed  the  corn  mill,  the  kitchen,  and 
80  forth,  and  were  at  work  upon  the  weaving-house, 


108  TWELVE   YEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

when  I  was  guilty  of  an  act,  in  that  State  punishabie 
with  death.  It  was  my  first  fight  with  Tibeats.  The 
weaving-house  we  were  erecting  stood  in  the  orchard 
a  few  rods  from  the  residence  of  Chap  in,  or  the  "  great 
house,"  as  it  was  called.  One  night,  having  worked 
until  it  was  too  dark  to  see,  I  was  ordered  by  Tibeats 
to  rise  very  early  in  the  morning,  procure  a  keg  of 
nails  from  Chapin,  and  commence  putting  on  the 
clapboards.  I  retired  to  the  cabin  extremely  tired, 
and  having  cooked  a  supper  of  bacon  and  corn  cake, 
and  conversed  a  while  with  Eliza,  who  occupied  the 
same  cabin,  as  also  did  Lawson  and  his  wife  Mary, 
and  a  slave  named  Bristol,  laid  down  upon  the  ground 
floor,  little  dreaming  of  the  sufferings  that  awaited  me 
on  the  morrow.  Before  daylight  I  was  on  the  piazza 
of  the  "  great  house,"  awaiting  the  appearance  of  over- 
seer Chapin.  To  have  aroused  him  from  his  slumbers 
and  stated  my  errand,  would  have  been  an  unpardon- 
able boldness.  At  length  he  came  out.  Taking  off 
my  hat,  I  informed  him  Master  Tibeats  had  directed 
me  to  call  upon  him  for  a  keg  of  nails.  Going  into 
the  store-room,  he  rolled  it  out,  at  the  same  time  say- 
ing, if  Tibeats  preferred  a  different  size,  he  would  en- 
deavor to  furnish  them,  but  that  I  might  use  those 
until  further  directed.  Then  mounting  his  horse, 
which  stood  saddled  and  bridled  at  the  door,  he  rode 
away  into  the  field,  whither  the  slaves  had  preceded 
him,  while  I  took  the  keg  on  my  shoulder,  and  pro- 
ceeding to  the  weaving-house,  broke  in  the  head,  and 
commenced  nailing  on  the  clapboards. 


FIKST   FIGHT   WITH   TIBEATS.  109 

As  the  day  began  to  open,  Tibeats  came  out  of  the 
house  to  where  I  was,  hard  at  work.  He  seemed  to 
be  that  morning  even  more  morose  and  disagreeable 
than  usual.  He  was  my  master,  entitled  by  law  to 
my  flesh  and  blood,  and  to  exercise  over  me  such  ty- 
rannical control  as  his  mean  nature  prompted ;  but 
there  was  no  law  that  could  prevent  my  looking  upon 
him  with  intense  contempt.  I  despised  both  his  dis- 
position and  his  intellect.  I  had  just  come  round  to 
the  keg  for  a  further  supply  of  nails,  as  he  reached 
the  weaving-house. 

"  I  thought  I  told  you  to  commence  putting  on 
weather-boards  this  morning,"  he  remarked. 

"  Yes,  master,  and  I  am  about  it,"  I  replied. 

"  "Where  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  On  the  other  side,"  was  my  answer. 

He  walked  round  to  the  other  side,  examined  my 
work  for  a  while,  muttering  to  himself  in  a  fault-find- 
ing tone. 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  last  night  to  get  a  keg  of  nails 
of  Chapin  ?  "  he  broke  forth  again. 

"  Yes,  master,  and  so  I  did  ;  and  overseer  said  he 
would  get  another  size  for  you,  if  you  wanted  them, 
when  he  came  back  from  the  field." 

Tibeats  walked  to  the  keg,  looked  a  moment  at  the 
contents,  then  kicked  it  violently.  Coming  towards 
me  in  a  great  passion,  he  exclaimed, 

"  G — d  d — n  you  !  I  thought  you  faiowed  some- 
thing." 

I  made  answer :_    "I  tried  to  do  as  you  told  me, 


110  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

master.  I  didn't  mean  anything  wrong.  Overseer 
said — "  But  he  interrupted  me  with  such  a  flood  of 
curses  that  I  was  unable  to  finish  the  sentence.  At 
length  he  ran  towards  the  house,  and  going  to  the 
piazza,  took  down  one  of  the  overseer's  whips.  The 
whip  had  a  short  wooden  stock,  braided  over  with 
leather,  and  was  loaded  at  the  butt.  The  lash  was 
three  feet  long,  or  thereabouts,  and  made  of  raw-hide 
strands. 

At  first  I  was  somewhat  frightened,  and  my  impulse 
was  to  run.  There  was  no  one  about  except  Rachel, 
the  cook,  and  Chapin's  wife,  and  neither  of  them  were 
to  be  seen.  The  rest  were  in  the  field.  I  knew  he 
intended  to  whip  me,  and  it  was  the  first  time  any 
one  had  attempted  it  since  my  arrival  at  Avoyelles. 
I  felt,  moreover,  that  I  had  been  faithful — that  I  was 
guilty  of  no  wrong  whatever,  and  deserved  commenda- 
tion rather  than  punishment.  My  fear  changed  to 
anger,  and  before  he  reached  me  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  fully  not  to  be  whipped,  let  th«  result  be  life  or 
death. 

"Winding  the  lash  around  his  hand,  and  taking  hold 
of  the  small  end  of  the  stock,  he  walked  up  to  me, 
and  with  a  malignant  look,  ordered  me  to  strip. 

"  Master  Tibeats,  said  I,  looking  him  boldly  in  the 
face,  "  I  will  not."  I  was  about  to  say  something 
further  in  justification,  but  with  concentrated  ven 
geance,  he  sprang  upon  me,  seizing  me  by  the  throat 
with  one  hand,  raising  the  whip  with  the  other,  in  the 
act  of  striking.     Before  the  blow  descended,  however, 


TIBEAT35   DISCOMFITUEE.  Ill 

I  had  caught  him  by  the  collar  of  the  coat,  and  drawn 
him  closely  to  me.  Reaching  down,  I  seized  him  by 
the  ankle,  and  pushing  him  back  with  the  other  hand, 
he  fell  over  on  the  ground.  Putting  one  arm  around 
his  leg,  and  holding  it  to  my  breast,  so  that  his  head 
and  shoulders  only  touched  the  ground,  I  placed  my 
foot  upon  his  neck.  He  was  completely  in  my  power. 
My  blood  was  up.  It  seemed  to  course  through  my 
veins  like  fire.  In  the  frenzy  of  my  madness  I  snatched 
the  whip  from  his  hand.  He  struggled  with  all  his 
power ;  swore  that  I  should  not  live  to  see  another 
day  ;  and  that  he  would  tear  out  my  heart.  But  his 
struggles  and  his  threats  were  alike  in  vain.  I  cannot 
tell  how  many  times  I  struck  him.  Blow  after  blow 
fell  fast  and  heavy  upon  his  wriggling  form.  At 
length  he  screamed  —  cried  murder  —  and  at  last  the 
blasphemous  tyrant  called  on  God  for  mercy.  But 
he  who  had  never  shown  mercy  did  not  receive  it. 
The  stiff  stock  of  the  whip  warped  round  his  cringing 
body  until  my  right  arm  ached. 

Until  this  time  I  had  been  too  busy  to  look  about 
me.  Desisting  for  a  moment,  I  saw  Mrs.  Chapin 
looking  from  the  window,  and  Rachel  standing  in  the 
kitchen  door.  Their  attitudes  expressed  the  utmost 
excitement  and  alarm.  His  screams  had  been  heard 
in  the  field.  Chapin  was  coming  as  fast  as  he  could 
ride.  I  struck  him  a  blow  or  two  more,  then  pushed 
him  from  me  with  such  a  well-directed  kick  that  he 
went  rolling  over  on  the  ground. 

Rising  to  his  feet,  and  brushing  the  dirt  from  his 


112  TWELVE   TEAKS   A    SLAVE. 

hair,  he  stood  looking  at  me,  pale  with  rage.  We 
gazed  at  each  other  in  silence.  Not  a  word  was  ut- 
tered until  Chapin  galloped  up  to  us. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  he  cried  out. 

"  Master  Tibeats  wants  to  whip  me  for  using  the 
nails  you  gave  me,"  I  replied. 

"  What-  is  the  matter  with  the  nails  ?"  he  inquired, 
turning  to  Tibeats. 

Tibeats  answered  to  the  effect  that  they  were  too 
large,  paying  little  heed,  however,  to  Chapin's  ques- 
tion, but  still  keeping  his  snakish  eyes  fastened  mali- 
ciously on  me. 

"I  am  overseer  here,"  Chapin  began.  "I  told 
Piatt  to  take  them  and  use  them,  and  if  they  were  not 
of  the  proper  size  I  would  get  others  on  returning  from 
the  field.  It  is  not  his  fault.  Besides,  I  shall  furnish 
such  nails  as  I  please.  I  hope  you  will  understand 
that,  Mr.  Tibeats." 

Tibeats  made  no  reply,  but,  grinding  his  teeth  and 
shaking  his  fist,  swore  he  would  have  satisfaction, 
and  that  it  was  not  half  over  yet.  Thereupon  he  walk- 
ed away,  followed  by  the  overseer,  and  entered  the 
house,  the  latter  talking  to  him  all  the  while  in  a  sup- 
pressed tone,  and  with  earnest  gestures. 

I  remained  where  I  was,  doubting  whether  it  was 
better  to  fly  or  abide  the  result,  whatever  it  might 
be.  Presently  Tibeats  came  out  of  the  house,  and, 
saddling  his  horse,  the  only  property  he  possessed  be- 
sides myself,  departed  on  the  road  to  Chenyville. 

When  he  was  gone,  Chapin  came  out,  visibly  exci- 


UNHAPPY   REFLECTIONS.  113 

ted,  telling  me  not  to  stir,  not  to  attempt  to  leave  the 
plantation  on  any  account  whatever.  He  then  went 
to  the  kitchen,  and  calling  Hachel  out,  conversed  with 
her  some  time.  Coming  back,  he  again  charged  me 
with  great  earnestness  not  to  run,  saying  my  master 
was  a  rascal ;  that  he  had  left  on  no  good  errand,  and 
that  there  might  be  trouble  before  night.  But  at  all 
events,  he  insisted  upon  it,  I  must  not  stir. 

As  I  stood  there,  feelings  of  unutterable  agony 
overwhelmed  me.  I  was  conscious  that  I  had  sub- 
jected myself  to  unimaginable  punishment.  The  re- 
action that  followed  my  extreme  ebullition  of  anger 
produced  the  most  painful  sensations  of  regret.  An 
unfriended,  helpless  slave  —  what  could  I  do,  what 
could  I  say,  to  justify,  in  the  remotest  manner,  the 
heinous  act  I  had  committed,  of  resenting  a  white 
man's  contumely  and  abuse.  I  tried  to  pray  —  I  tried 
to  beseech  my  Heavenly  Father  to  sustain  me  in  my 
sore  extremity,  but  emotion  choked  my  utterance,  and 
I  could  only  bow  my  head  upon  my  hands  and  weep. 
For  at  least  an  hour  I  remained  in  this  situation,  find- 
ing relief  only  in  tears,  when,  looking  up,  I  beheld 
Tibeats,  accompanied  by  two  horsemen,  coming  down 
the  bayou.  They  rode  into  the  yard,  jumped  from 
their  horses,  and  approached  me  with  large  whips, 
one  of  them  also  carrying  a  coil  of  rope. 

"  Cross  your  hands,"  commanded  Tibeats,  with  the 
addition  of  such  a  shuddering  expression  of  blasphe- 
my as  is  not  decorous  to  repeat. 

8 


114  TWELVE   YEABS    A    SLAVE. 

"  You  need  not  bind  me,  Master  Tibeats,  I  am 
ready  to  go  with  you  anywhere,"  said  I. 

One  of  his  companions  then  stepped  forward,  swear- 
ing if  I  made  the  least  resistance  he  would  break  my 
head  —  he  would  tear  me  limb  from  limb  —  he  would 
cut  my  black  throat  —  and  giving  wide  scope  to  other 
similar  expressions.  Perceiving  any  importunity  al- 
together vain,  I  crossed  my  hands,  submitting  hum- 
bly to  whatever  disposition  they  might  please  to  make 
of  me.  Thereupon  Tibeats  tied  my  wrists,  drawing 
the  rope  around  them  with  his  utmost  strength.  Then 
he  bound  my  ankles  in  the  same  manner.  In  the 
meantime  the  other  two  had  slipped  a  cord  within  my 
elbows,  running  it  across  my  back,  and  tying  it  firm- 
ly. It  was  utterly  impossible  to  move  hand  or  foot. 
With  a  remaining  piece  of  rope  Tibeats  made  an  awk- 
ward noose,  and  placed  it  about  my  neck. 

"  ]N"ow,  then,"  inquired  one  of  Tibeats'  companions, 
"  where  shall  we  hang  the  nigger  ?" 

One  proposed  such  a  limb,  extending  from  the  body 
of  a  peach  tree,  near  the  spot  where  we  were  stand- 
ing. His  comrade  objected  to  it,  alleging  it  would 
break,  and  proposed  another.  Finally  they  fixed  up- 
on the  latter. 

During  this  conversation,  and  all  the  time  they 
were  binding  me,  I  uttered  not  a  word.  Overseer 
Chapin,  during  the  progress  of  the  scene,  was  walk- 
ing hastily  back  and  forth  on  the  piazza.  Rachel  was 
crying  by  the  kitchen  door,  and  Mrs.  Chapin  was  still 


■■■■    .  ■ 


CHAPIN    RESCUES   SOLOMON    FROM   HANGING. 


ATTEMPT   TO   HANG    ME.  115 

looking  from  the  window.  Hope  died  within  my 
heart.  Surely  my  time  had  come.  I  should  never 
behold  the  light  of  another  day  —  never  behold  the 
faces  of  my  children  —  the  sweet  anticipation  I  had 
cherished  with  such  fondness.  I  should  that  hour 
struggle  through  the  fearful  agonies  of  death  !  None 
would  mourn  for  me  —  none  revenge  me.  Soon  my 
form  would  be  mouldering  in  that  distant  soil,  or,  per- 
haps, be  cast  to  the  slimy  reptiles  that  filled  the  stag- 
nant waters  of  the  bayou  !  Tears  flowed  down  my 
cheeks,  but  they  only  afforded  a  subject  of  insulting 
comment  for  my  executioners. 

At  length,  as  they  were  dragging  me  towards  the 
tree,  Chapin,  who  had  momentarily  disappeared  from 
the  piazza,  came  out  of  the  house  and  walked  towards 
us.  He  had  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  and  as  near  as  I 
can  now  recall  to  mind,  spoke  in  a  firm,  determined 
manner,  as  follows  : 

"  Gentlemen,  I  have  a  few  words  to  say.  You  had 
better  listen  to  them.  Whoever  moves  that  slave  an- 
other foot  from  where  he  stands  is  a  dead  man.  In 
the  first  place,  he  does  not  deserve  this  treatment.  It 
is  a  shame  to  murder  him  in  this  manner.  I  never 
knew  a  more  faithful  boy  than  Piatt.  You,  Tibeats, 
are  in  the  fault  yourself.  You  are  pretty  much  of  a 
scoundrel,  and  I  know  it,  and  you  richly  deserve  the 
flogging  you  have  received.  In  the  next  place,  I  have 
been  overseer  on  this  plantation  seven  years,  and,  in 
the  absence  of  "William  Ford,  am  master  here.  My 
duty  is  to  protect  his  interests,  and  that  duty  I  shall 


116  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

perform.  You  are  not  responsible  —  you  are  a  worth- 
less fellow.  Ford  holds  a  mortgage  on  Piatt  of  four 
hundred  dollars.  If  you  hang  him  he  loses  his  debt. 
Until  that  is  canceled  you  have  no  right  to  take  his 
life.  You  have  no  right  to  take  it  any  way.  There 
is  a  law  for  the  slave  as  well  as  for  the  white  man. 
You  are  no  better  than  a  murderer. 

"  As  for  you,"  addressing  Cook  and  Ramsay,  a 
couple  of  overseers  from  neighboring  plantations,  "  as 
for  you  —  begone  !  If  you  have  any  regard  for  your 
own  safety,  I  say,  begone." 

Cook  and  Ramsay,  without  a  further  word,  mount- 
ed their  horses  and  rode  away.  Tib  eats,  in  a  few 
minutes,  evidently  in  fear,  and  overawed  by  the  deci- 
ded tone  of  Chapin,  sneaked  off  like  a  coward,  as  he 
was,  and  mounting  his  horse,  followed  his  companions. 

I  remained  standing  where  I  was,  still  bound,  with 
the  rope  around  my  neck.  As  soon  as  they  were 
gone,  Chapin  called  Rachel,  ordering  her  to  run  to 
the  field,  and  tell  Lawson  to  hurry  to  the  house  with- 
out delay,  and  bring  the  brown  mule  with  him,  an 
animal  much  prized  for  its  unusual  neetness.  Pres- 
ently the  boy  appeared. 

"  Lawson,"  said  Chapin,  "  you  must  go  to  the  Pine 
Woods.  Tell  your  master  Ford  to  come  here  at  once 
—  that  he  must  not  delay  a  single  moment.  Tell  him 
they  are  trying  to  murder  Piatt.  Now  hurry,  boy. 
Be  at  the  Pine  Woods  by  noon  if  you  kill  the  mule." 

Chapin  stepped  into  the  house  and  wrote  a  pass. 
When  he  returned,  Lawson  was  at  the  door,  mounted 


LAWS0N  AND  THE  MULE.  117 

on  his  mule.  Receiving  the  pass,  he  plied  the  whip 
right  smartly  to  the  beast,  dashed  ont  of  the  yard,  and 
turning  up  the  bayou  on  a  hard  gallop,  in  less  time 
than  it  has  taken  me  to  describe  the  scene,  was  out 
of  sight. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE   HOT   SUN TET   BOUND THE    COEDS     SINK    INTO    MY    FLESH CHA- 

PIn's    UNEASINESS SPECULATION RACHEL,    AND    HER    CUP     OF   WATER 

SUFFERING     INCREASES THE    HAPPINESS    OF   SLAVERY ARRIVAL   OF 

FORD HE    CUTS  THE  CORDS  WHICH   BIND    ME,  AND  TAKES  THE  ROPE  FROM 

MY  NECK MISERY THE  GATHERING  OF  THE  SLAVES  IN  ELIZA'S  CABIN 

THEIR   KINDNESS RACHEL    REPEATS   THE    OCCURRENCES    OF   THE   DAY — ■ 

LAWSON  ENTERTAINS  HIS  COMPANIONS  WITH  AN    ACCOUNT  OF   HIS  RIDE 

CHAPIN'S  APPREHENSIONS  OF  TIBEATS HIRED  TO  PETER  TANNER PETER 

EXPOUNDS  THE  SCRIPTURES DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  STOCKS. 

As  the  sun  approached  the  meridian  that  day  it  be- 
came insufferably  warm.  Its  hot  rays  scorched  the 
ground.  The  earth  almost  blistered  the  foot  that  stood 
upon  it.  I  was  without  coat  or  hat,  standing  bare- 
headed, exposed  to  its  burning  blaze.  Great  drops 
of  perspiration  rolled  down  my  face,  drenching  the 
scanty  apparel  wherewith  I  was  clothed.  Over  the 
fence,  a  very  little  way  off,  the  peach  trees  cast  their 
cool,  delicious  shadows  on  the  grass.  I  would  gladly 
have  given  a  long  year  of  service  to  have  been  ena- 
bled to  exchange  the  heated  oven,  as  it  were,  where- 
in I  stood,  for  a  seat  beneath  their  branches.  But  I 
was  yet  bound,  the  rope  still  dangling  from  my  neck, 
and  standing  in  the  same  tracks  where  Tibeats  and 
his  comrades  left  me.  I  could  not  move  an  inch,  so 
firmly  had  I  been  bound.    To  have  been  enabled  to 


CHAPESr's   UNEASINESS.  119 

lean  against  the  weaving  house  would  have  been  a 
luxury  indeed.  But  it  was  far  beyond  my  reach, 
though  distant  less  than  twenty  feet.  I  wanted  to  lie 
down,  but  knew  I  could  not  rise  again.  The  ground 
was  so  parched  and  boiling  hot  I  was  aware  it  would 
but  add  to  the  discomfort  of  my  situation.  If  I  could 
have  only  moved  my  position,  however  slightly,  it 
would  have  been  relief  unspeakable.  But  the  hot 
rays  of  a  southern  sun,  beating  all  the  long  summer 
day  on  my  bare  head,  produced  not  half  the  suffer- 
ing I  experienced  from  my  aching  limbs.  My  wrists 
and  ankles,  and  the  cords  of  my  legs  and  arms  began 
to  swell,  burying  the  rope  that  bound  them  into  the 
swollen  flesh. 

All  day  Chapin  walked  back  and  forth  upon  the 
stoop,  but  not  once  approached  me.  He  appeared  to 
be  in  a  state  of  great  uneasiness,  looking  first 
towards  me,  and  then  up  the  road,  as  if  expecting 
some  arrival  every  moment.  He  did  not  go  to  the 
field,  as  was  his  custom.  It  was  evident  from  his  man- 
ner that  he  supposed  Tib  eats  would  return  with  more 
and  better  armed  assistance,  perhaps,  to  renew  the 
quarrel,  and  it  was  equally  evident  he  had  prepared 
his  mind  to  defend  my  life  at  whatever  hazard. 
Why  he  did  not  relieve  me  —  why  he  suffered  me  to 
remain  in  agony  the  whole  weary  day,  I  never  knew. 
It  was  not  for  want  of  sympathy,  I  am  certain.  Per- 
haps he  wished  Ford  to  see  the  rope  about  my  neck, 
and  the  brutal  manner  in  which  I  had  been  bound  ; 
perhaps  his  interference  with  another's  property  in 


120  TWELVE  TEAES   A   SLATE. 

which,  he  had  no  legal  interest  might  have  been  a 
trespass,  which  would  have  subjected  him  to  the  pen- 
alty of  the  law.  "Why  Tibeats  was  all  day  absent  was 
another  mystery  I  never  could  divine.  He  knew  well 
enough  that  Chapin  would  not  harm  him  unless  he 
persisted  in  his  design  against  me.  Lawson  told  me 
afterwards,  that,  as  he  passed  the  plantation  of  John 
David  Cheney,  he  saw  the  three,  and  that  they  turned 
and  looked  after  him  as  he  flew  by.  I  think  his  sup- 
position was,  that  Lawson  had  been  sent  out  by  Over- 
seer Chapin  to  arouse  the  neighboring  planters,  and 
to  call  on  them  to  come  to  his  assistance.  He,  there- 
fore, undoubtedly,  acted  on  the  principle,  that  "  dis 
cretion  is  the  better  part  of  valor,"  and  kept  away. 

But  whatever  motive  may  have  governed  the  cow- 
ardly and  malignant  tyrant,  it  is  of  no  importance. 
There  I  still  stood  in  the  noon-tide  sun,  groaning  with 
pain.  From  long  before  daylight  I  had  not  eaten  a 
morsel.  I  was  growing  faint  from  pain,  and  thirst, 
and  hunger.  Once  only,  in  the  very  hottest  portion 
of  the  day,  Rachel,  half  fearful  she  was  acting  con- 
trary to  the  overseer's  wishes,  ventured  to  me,  and 
held  a  cup  of  water  to  my  lips.  The  humble  crea- 
ture never  knew,  nor  could  she  comprehend  if  she 
had  heard  them,  the  blessings  I  invoked  upon  her, 
for  that  balmy  draught.  She  could  only  say,  "  Oh, 
Piatt,  how  I  do  pity  you,"  and  then  hastened  back  to 
her  labors  in  the  kitchen. 

ISTever  did  the  sun  move  so  slowly  through  the 
heavens  —  never  did  it  shower  down  such  fervent  and 


ARRIVAL   OF  FORD.  121 

fiery  rays,  as  it  did  that  day.  At  least,  so  it  app ear- 
ed to  me.  What  my  meditations  were  —  the  innume- 
rable thoughts  that  thronged  through  my  distracted 
brain  —  I  will  not  attempt  to  give  expression  to, 
Suffice  it  to  say,  during  the  whole  long  day  I  came 
not  to  the  conclusion,  even  once,  that  the  southern 
slave,  fed,  clothed,  whipped  and  protected  by  his 
master,  is  happier  than  the  free  colored  citizen  of  the 
Korth.  To  that  conclusion  I  have  never  since  arri- 
ved. There  are  many,  however,  even  in  the  Northern 
States,  benevolent  and  well-disposed  men,  who  will 
pronounce  my  opinion  erroneous,  and  gravely  proceed 
to  substantiate  the  assertion  with  an  argument.  Alas ! 
they  have  never  drank,  as  I  have,  from  the  bitter  cup 
of  slavery.  Just  at  sunset  my  heart  leaped  with  un- 
bounded joy,  as  Ford  came  riding  into  the  yard,  his 
horse  covered  with  foam.  Chapin  met  him  at  the 
door,  and  after  conversing  a  short  time,  he  walked 
directly  to  me. 

"  Poor  Piatt,  you  are  in  a  bad  state,"  was  the  only 
expression  that  escaped  his  lips. 

"  Thank  God  !"  said  I,  «  thank  God,  Master  Ford, 
that  you  have  come  at  last." 

Drawing  a  knife  from  his  pocket,  he  indignantly 
cut  the  cord  from  my  wrists,  arms,  and  ankles,  and 
slipped  the  noose  from  my  neck.  I  attempted  to 
walk,  but  staggered  like  a  drunken  man,  and  fell  par- 
tially to  the  ground. 

Ford  returned  immediately  to  the  house,  leaving 
me  alone  again.     As  he  reached  the  piazza,  Tibeats 


122  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

and  his  two  friends  rode  up.  A  long  dialogue  fol- 
lowed. I  could  hear  the  sound  of  their  voices,  the 
mild  tones  of  Ford  mingling  with  the  angry  accents 
of  Tibeats,  but  was  unable  to  distinguish  what  was 
said.  Finally  the  three  departed  again,  apparently 
not  well  pleased. 

I  endeavored  to  raise  the  hammer,  thinking  to  show 
Ford  how  willing  I  was  to  work,  by  proceeding  with 
my  labors  on  the  weaving  house,  but  it  fell  from  my 
nerveless  hand.  At  dark  I  crawled  into  the  cabin, 
and  laid  down.  I  was  in  great  misery  —  all  sore  and 
swollen  —  the  slightest  movement  producing  excruci- 
ating suffering.  Soon  the  hands  came  in  from  the 
field.  Rachel,  when  she  went  after  Lawson,  had  told 
them  what  had  happened.  Eliza  and  Mary  broiled 
I  me  a  piece  of  bacon,  but  my  appetite  was  gone. 
Then  they  scorched  some  corn  meal  and  made  coffee. 
It  was  all  that  I  could  take.  Eliza  consoled  me  and 
was  very  kind.  It  was  not  long  before  the  cabin  was 
full  of-slaves.  They  gathered  round  me,  asking  many 
questions  about  the  difficulty  with  Tibeats  in  the 
morning  —  and  the  particulars  of  all  the  occurrences 
of  the  day.  Then  Rachel  came  in,  and  in  her  simple 
language,  repeated  it  over  again — 'dwelling  emphat- 
ically on  the  kick  that  sent  Tibeats  rolling  over  on 
the  ground  — ■  whereupon  there  was  a  general  titter 
throughout  the  crowd.  Then  she  described  how  Cha- 
pin  walked  out  with  his  pistols  and  rescued  me, 
and  how  Master  Ford  cut  the  ropes  with  his  knife, 
just  as  if  he  was  mad. 


lawson's  ride.  123 

By  this  time  Lawson  had  returned.  He  had  to 
regale  them  with  an  account  of  his  trip  to  the  Pine 
"Woods  —  how  the  brown  mule  bore  him  faster  than 
a  "  streak  o'  lightnin"  —  how  he  astonished  everybody 
as  he  flew  along  —  how  Master  Ford  started  right 
away  —  how  he  said  Piatt  was  a  good  nigger,  and 
they  shouldn't  kill  him,  concluding  with  pretty  strong 
intimations  that  there  was  not  another  human  being 
in  the  wide  world,  who  could  have  created  such  a 
universal  sensation  on  the  road,  or  performed  such  a 
marvelous  John  Gilpin  feat,  as  he  had  done  that  day 
on  the  brown  mule. 

The  kind  creatures  loaded  me  with  the  expression 
of  their  sympathy  —  saying,  Tibeats  was  a  hard,  cruel 
man,  and  hoping  "  Massa  Ford"  would  get  me  back 
again.  In  this  manner  they  passed  the  time,  discus- 
sing, chatting,  talking  over  and  over  again  the  exci- 
ting affair,  until  suddenly  Chapin  presented  himself 
at  the  cabin  door  and  called  me. 

"  Piatt,"  said  he,  "  you  will  sleep  on  the  floor  in  the 
great  house  to-night ;    bring  your  blanket  with  you." 

I  arose  as  quickly  as  I  was  able,  took  my  blanket 
in  my  hand,  and  followed  him.  On  the  way  he  in- 
formed me  that  he  should  not  wonder  if  Tibeats  was 
back  again  before  morning  —  that  he  intended  to  kill 
me  —  and  that  he  did  not  mean  he  should  do  it  with- 
out witnesses.  Had  he  stabbed  me  to  the  heart  in 
the  presence  of  a  hundred  slaves,  not  one  of  them,  by 
the  laws  of  Louisiana,  could  have  given  evidence 
against  him.     I  laid  down  on  the  floor  in  the  "  great 


124  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

house"  —  the  first  and  the  last  time  such  a  sumptu- 
ous resting  place  was  granted  me  during  my  twelve 
years  of  bondage  —  and  tried  to  sleep.  Near  midnight 
the  dog  began  to  bark.  Chapin  arose,  looked  from 
the  window,  but  could  discover  nothing.  At  length 
the  dog  was  quiet.    As  he  returned  to  his  room,  he  said, 

"  I  believe,  Piatt,  that  scoundrel  is  skulking  about 
the  premises  somewhere.  If  the  dog  barks  again,  and 
I  am  sleeping,  wake  me." 

I  promised  to  do  so.  After  the  lapse  of  an  hour  or 
more,  the  dog  re-commenced  his  clamor,  running 
towards  the  gate,  then  back  again,  all  the  while  bark- 
ing furiously. 

Chapin  was  out  of  bed  without  waiting  to  be  called. 
On  this  occasion,  he  stepped  forth  upon  the  piazza, 
and  remained  standing  there  a  considerable  length  of 
time.  Nothing,  however,  was  to  be  seen,  and  the 
dog  returned  to  his  kennel.  We  were  not  disturbed 
again  during  the  night.  The  excessive  pain  that  I 
suffered,  and  the  dread  of  some  impending  danger, 
prevented  any  rest  whatever.  Whether  or  not  Tibe- 
ats  did  actually  return  to  the  plantation  that  night, 
seeking  an  opportunity  to  wreak  his  vengeance  upon 
me,  is  a  secret  known  only  to  himself,  perhaps.  I 
thought  then,  however,  and  have  the  strong  impres- 
sion still,  that  he  was  there.  At  all  events,  he  had 
the  disposition  of  an  assassin  —  cowering  before  a 
brave  man's  words,  but  ready  to  strike  his  helpless  or 
unsuspecting  victim  in  the  back,  as  I  had  reason  af- 
terwards to  know. 


chapin's  appearance.  125 

At  daylight  in  the  morning,  I  arose,  sore  and  wea- 
ry, having  rested  little.  Nevertheless,  after  partaking 
breakfast,  which  Mary  and  Eliza  had  prepared  for  me 
in  the  cabin,  I  proceeded  to  the  weaving  hon.se  and 
commenced  the  labors  of  another  day.  It  was  Cha- 
pin's practice,  as  it  is  the  practice  of  overseers  gen- 
erally, immediately  on  arising,  to  bestride  his  horse, 
always  saddled  and  bridled  and  ready  for  him — ■ 
the  particular  business  of  some  slave  —  and  ride  into 
the  field.  This  morning,  on  the  contrary,  he  came  to 
the  weaving  house,  asking  if  I  had  seen  anything  of 
Tibeats  yet.  Replying  in  the  negative,  he  remarked 
there  was  something  not  right  about  the  fellow  — 
there  was  bad  blood  in  him' — that  I  must  keep  a 
sharp  watch  of  him,  or  he  would  do  me  wrong  some 
day  when  I  least  expected  it. 

"While  he  was  yet  speaking,  Tibeats  rode  in,  hitched 
his  horse,  and  entered  the  house.  I  had  little  fear  of 
him  while  Ford  and  Chapin  were  at  hand,  but  they 
could  not  be  near  me  always. 

Oh !  how  heavily  the  weight  of  slavery  pressed 
upon  me  then.  I  must  toil  day  after  day,  endure 
abuse  and  taunts  and  scoffs,  sleep  on  the  hard  ground, 
live  on  the  coarsest  fare,  and  not  only  this,  but  live 
the  slave  of  a  blood-seeking  wretch,  of  whom  I  must 
stand  henceforth  in  continued  fear  and  dread.  "Why 
had  I  not  died  in  my  young  years — before  God  had 
given  me  children  to  love  and  live  for  ?  What  un- 
happiness  and  suffering  and  sorrow  it  would  have 
prevented.     I  sighed  for  liberty  ;  but  the  bondman's 


126  TWELVE   TEAES   A   SLAVE. 

clmin  was  round  me,  and  could  not  be  shaken  off.  I 
could  only  gaze  wistfully  towards  the  North,  and 
think  of  the  thousands  of  miles  that  stretched  between 
me  and  the  soil  of  freedom,  over  which  a  black  free- 
man may  not  pass. 

Tibeats,  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,  walked  over 
to  the  weaving-house,  looked  at  me  sharply,  then  re- 
turned without  saying  anything.  Most  of  the  fore- 
noon he  sat  on  the  piazza,  reading  a  newspaper  and 
conversing  with  Ford.  After  dinner,  the  latter  left 
for  the  Pine  Woods,  and  it  was  indeed  with  regret 
that  I  beheld  him  depart  from  the  plantation. 

Once  more  during  the  day  Tibeats  came  to  me, 
gave  me  some  order,  and  returned. 

During  the  week  the  weaving-house  was  completed 
— Tibeats  in  the  meantime  making  no  allusion  what- 
ever to  the  difficulty  —  when  I  was  informed  he  had 
hired  me  to  Peter  Tanner,  to  work  under  another  car- 
penter by  the  name  of  Myers.  This  announcement 
was  received  with  gratification,  as  any  place  was  de- 
sirable that  would  relieve  me  of  his  hateful  presence. 

Peter  Tanner,  as  the  reader  has  already  been  in- 
formed, lived  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  was  the  broth- 
er of  Mistress  Ford.  He  is  one  of  the  most-  extensive 
planters  on  Bayou  Bceuf,  and  owns  a  large  number 
of  slaves. 

Over  I  went  to  Tanner's,  joyfully  enough.  He  had 
heard  of  my  late  difficulties  —  in  fact,  I  ascertained 
the  flogging  of  Tibeats  was  soon  blazoned  far  and  wide. 
This  affair,  together  with  my  rafting  experiment,  had 


PETER  EXPOUNDS   THE   SCRIPTURE.  127 

rendered  me  somewhat  notorious.  More  than  once  I 
heard  it  said  that  Piatt  Ford,  now  Piatt  Tibeats  —  a 
slave's  name  changes  with  his  change  of  master  —  was 
"  a  devil  of  a  nigger."  But  I  was  destined  to  make  a 
still  further  noise,  as  will  presently  be  seen,  through- 
out the  little  world  of  Bayou  Bceuf. 

Peter  Tanner  endeavored  to  impress  upon  me  the 
idea  that  he  was  quite  severe,  though  I  could  per- 
ceive there  was  a  vein  of  good  humor  in  the  old  fel- 
low, after  all. 

"  You're  the  nigger,"  he  said  to  me  on  my  arrival 
• — "  You're  the  nigger  that  flogged  your  master,  eh? 
You're  the  nigger  that  kicks,  and  holds  carpenter 
Tibeats  by  the  leg,  and  wallops  him,  are  ye  2  I'd  like 
to  see  you  hold  me  by  the  leg  —  I  should.  You're  a 
'portant  character — you're  a  great  nigger  —  very  re- 
markable nigger,  ain't  ye  ?  Pd  lash  you — Pd  take 
the  tantrums  out  of  ye.  Jest  take  hold  of  my  leg,  if 
you  please.  None  of  your  pranks  here,  my  boy,  re- 
member that.  Now  go  to  work,  you  hichi/n?  rascal," 
concluded  Peter  Tanner,  unable  to  suppress  a  half- 
comical  grin  at  his  own  wit  and  sarcasm. 

After  listening  to  this  salutation,  I  was  taken  charge 
of  by  Myers,  and  labored  under  his  direction  for  a 
mo.fi.th,  to  his  and  my  own  satisfaction. 
/  Like  William  Pord,  his  brother-in-law,  Tanner  was  j 
irithe  habit  of  reading  the  Bible  to  his  slaves  on  the 
Sabbath,  but  in  a  somewhat  different  spirit.  He  was 
an  impressive  commentator  on  the  New  Testament. 
The  first  Sunday  after  my  coming  to  the  plantation, 


128  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

he  called  them  together,  and  began  to  read  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  Luke.  When  he  came  to  the  47th  verse, 
he  looked  deliberately  around  him,  and  continued  — 
"  And  that  servant  which  knew  his  lord's  will" — 'here 
he  paused,  looking  around  more  deliberately  than  be- 
fore, and  again  proceeded — "  which  knew  his  lord's 
will,  and  prepared  not  himself" — here  was  another 
pause — "prepared  not  himself,  neither  did  according 
to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.'''1 

"  D'ye  hear  that  ?  "  demanded  Peter,  emphatically. 
" Stripes"  he  repeated,  slowly  and  distinctly,  taking 
off  his  spectacles,  preparatory  to  making  a  few  re- 
marks. 

"  That  nigger  that  don't  take  care  —  that  don't  obey 
his  lord  —  that's  his  master  —  d'ye  see  ?  —  that  'ere 
nigger  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes.  Now, 
'many'  signifies  a  great  many  —  forty,  a  hundred, 
a  hundred  and  fifty  lashes.  That's  Scripter  !  "  and  so 
Peter  continued  to  elucidate  the  subject  for  a  great 
length  of  time,  much  to  the  edification  of  his  sable 
audience. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises,  calling  up  three 
of  his  slaves,  Warner,  Will  and  Major,  he  cried  out 
to  me  — 

"  Here,  Piatt,  you  held  Tibeats  by  the  legs ;  now  I'll 
see  if  you  can  hold  these  rascals  in  the  same  way,  till 
I  get  back  from  meetm'." 

Thereupon  he  ordered  them  to  the  stocks  —  a  com- 
mon thing  on  plantations  in  the  Red  River  country. 
The  stocks  are  formed  of  two  planks,  the  lower  one 


DESCRIPTION    OF   THE   STOCKS.  129 

made  fast  at  the  ends  to  two  short  posts,  driven  firmly 
into  the  ground.  At  regular  distances  half  circles 
are  cut  in  the  upper  edge.  The  other  plank  is  fas- 
tened to  one  of  the  posts  by  a  hinge,  so  that  it  can  be 
opened  or  shut  down,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  blade 
of  a  pocket-knife  is  shut  or  opened.  In  the  lower  edge 
of  the  upper  plank  corresponding  half  circles  are  also 
cut.  so  that  When  they  close,  a  row  of  holes  is  formed 
large  enough  to  admit  a  negro's  leg  above  the  ankle, 
but  not  large  enough  to  enable  him  to  draw  out  his 
foot.  The  other  end  of  the  upper  plank,  opposite  the 
hinge,  is  fastened  to  its  post  by  lock  and  key.  The 
slave  is  made  to  sit  upon  the  ground,  when  the  upper- 
most plank  is  elevated,  his  legs,  just  above  the  ankles, 
placed  in  the  sub-half  circles,  and  shutting  it  down 
again,  and  locking  it,  he  is  held  secure  and  fast.  Yery 
often  the  neck  instead  of  the  ankle  is  enclosed.  In 
this  manner  they  are  held  during  the  operation  of 
whipping. 

Warner,  "Will  and  Major,  according  to  Tanner's  ac- 
count of  them,  were  melon-stealing,  Sabbath-break- 
ing niggers,  and  not  approving  of  such  wickedness,  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  put  them  in  the  stocks.  Handing 
me  the  key,  himself,  Myers,  Mistress  Tanner  and  the 
children  entered  the  carriage  and  drove  away  to 
church  at  Cheney ville.  When  they  were  gone,  the 
boys  begged  me  to  let  them  out.  I  felt  sorry  to  see 
them  sitting  on  the  hot  ground,  and  remembered  my 
own  sufferings  in  the  sun.  Upon  their  promise  to  re- 
turn to  the  stocks  at  any  moment  they  were  required 
F*  9 


130  TWELVE   YEAKS    A    SLAVE. 

to  do  so,  I  consented  to  release  them.  Grateful  for 
the  lenity  shown  them,  and  in  order  in  some  meas- 
ure to  repay  it,  they  could  do  no  less,  of  course, 
than  pilot  me  to  the  melon-patch.  Shortly  before 
Tanner's  return,  they  were  in  the  stocks  again. 
Finally  he  drove  up,  and  looking  at  the  boys,  said,  with 
a  chuckle, — 

"  Aha  !  ye  havn't  been  strolling  about  much  to-day, 
any  way.  I'll  teach  you  what's  what,  fll  tire  ye 
of  eating  water-melons  on  the  Lord's  day,  ye  Sabbath- 
breaking  niggers." 

Ppitfir  Tarmp.r  prided  himself  upon  his  strict  religious 
observances:  he  was  a  dp.;ip.rm  in  fhp  rhm-ph 

"But  I  have  now  reached  a  point  in  the  progress  of 
my  narrative,  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  turn  away 
from  these  light  descriptions,  to  the  more  grave  and 
weighty  matter  of  the  second  battle  with  Master  Tib- 
eats,  and  the  flight  through  the  great  Pacoudrie 
Swamp. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BETURN  TO   TIBEATS IMPOSSIBILITY    OF   PLEASING   HIM HE    ATTACKS    ME 

WITH  A  HATCHET THE  STRUGGLE  OVER  THE  BROAD  AXE THE  TEMPTA- 
TION TO  MURDER  HIM ESCAPE  ACROSS  THE  PLANTATION OBSERVA- 
TIONS FROM  THE  FENCE TIBEATS  APPROACHES,  FOLLOWED  BY  THE  HOUNDS 

THEY  TAKE  MY  TRACK THEIR  LOUD  YELLS THEY  ALMOST  OVERTAKE 

ME 1  REACH  THE  WATER THE  HOUNDS  CONFUSED MOCCASIN  SNAKES 

ALLIGATORS NIGHT  IN    THE  "GREAT   PACOUDRLE  SWAMP" — ' THE  SOUNDS 

OF  LIFE NORTH-WEST  COURSE EMERGE  INTO   THE   PINE   WOODS THE 

SLAVE  AND   HIS    YOUNG   MASTER ARRIVAL  AT  FORD'S FOOD  AND  REST. 

At  the  end  of  a  month,  my  services  being  no  lon- 
ger required  at  Tanner's  I  was  sent  over  the  bayou 
again  to  my  master,  whom  I  found  engaged  in  build- 
ing the  cotton  press.  This  was  situated  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  great  house,  in  a  rather  retired  place. 
I  commenced  working  once  more  in  company  with 
Tibeats,  being  entirely  alone  with  him  most  part  of 
the  time.  I  remembered  the  words  of  Chapin,  his 
precautions,  his  advice  to  beware,  lest  in  some  unsus- 
pecting moment  he  might  injure  me.  They  were  al- 
ways in  my  mind,  so  that  I  lived  in  a  most  uneasy 
state  of  apprehension  and  fear.  One  eye  was  on  my 
work,  the  other  on  my  master.  I  determined  to  give 
him  no  cause  of  offence,  to  work  still  more  diligently, 


132  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

if  possible,  than  I  had  done,  to  bear  whatever  abuse 
he  might  heap  upon  me,  save  bodily  injury,  humbly 
and  patiently,  hoping  thereby  to  soften  in  some  de- 
gree his  manner  towards  me,  until  the  blessed  time 
might  come  when  I  should  be  delivered  from  his 
clutches. 

The  third  morning  after  my  return,  Chapin  left  the 
plantation  for  Cheneyville,  to  be  absent  until  night. 
Tibeats,  on  that  morning,  was  attacked  with  one  of 
those  periodical  fits  of  spleen  and  ill-humor  to  which 
he  was  frequently  subject,  rendering  him  still  more 
disagreeable  and  venomous  than  usual. 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  when  I 
was  busily  employed  with  the  jack-plane  on  one  of  the 
sweeps.  Tibeats  was  standing  by  the  work-bench, 
fitting  a  handle  into  the  chisel,  with  which  he  had 
been  engaged  previously  in  cutting  the  thread  of  the 
screw. 

"  You  are  not  planing  that  down  enough,"  said  he. 

"  It  is  just  even  with  the  line,"  I  replied. 

"  You're  a  d — d  liar,"  he  exclaimed  passionately. 

"  Oh,  well,  master,"  I  said,  mildly,  "  I  will  plane  it 
down  more  if  you  say  so,"  at  the  same  time  proceed- 
ing to  do  as  I  supposed  he  desired.  Before  one  sha- 
ving had  been  removed,  however,  he  cried  out,  say- 
ing I  had  now  planed  it  too  deep  —  it  was  too  small 
—  I  had  spoiled  the  sweep  entirely.  Then  followed 
curses  and  imprecations.  I  had  endeavored  to  do  ex- 
actly as  he  directed,  but  nothing  would  satisfy  the  un- 
reasonable man.    In  silence  and  in  dread  I  stood  by  the 


TIBEATS   ATTACKS   ME.  133 

sweep,  holding  the  jack-plane  in  my  hand,  not  know- 
ing what  to  do,  and  not  daring  to  be  idle.  His  anger 
grew  more  and  more  violent,  until,  finally,  with  an 
oath,  such  a  bitter,  frightful  oath  as  only  Tibeats  could 
utter,  he  seized  a  hatchet  from  the  work-bench  and 
darted  towards  me,  swearing  he  would  cut  my  head 
open. 

It  was  a  moment  of  life  or  death.  The  sharp,  bright 
blade  of  the  hatchet  glittered  in  the  sun.  In  another 
instant  it  would  be  buried  in  my  brain,  and  yet  in 
that  instant  —  so  quick  will  a  man's  thoughts  come  to 
him  in  such  a  fearful  strait  —  I  reasoned  with  my- 
self. If  I  stood  still,  my  doom  was  certain  ;  if  I  fled, 
ten  chances  to  one  the  hatchet,  flying  from  his  hand 
with  a  too-deadly  and  unerring  aim,  would  strike  me 
in  the  back.  There  was  but  one  course  to  take. 
Springing  towards  him  with  all  my  power,  and  meet- 
ing him  full  half-way,  before  he  could  bring  down  the 
blow,  with  one  hand  I  caught  his  uplifted  arm,  with 
the  other  seized  him  by  the  throat.  We  stood  look- 
ing each  other  in  the  eyes.  In  his  I  could  see  mur- 
der. I  felt  as  if  I  had  a  serpent  by  the  neck,  watch- 
ing the  slightest  relaxation  of  my  gripe,  to  coil  itself 
round  my  body,  crushing  and  stinging  it  to  death.  I 
thought  to  scream  aloud,  trusting  that  some  ear  might 
catch  the  sound  —  but  Chapin  was  away ;  the  hands 
were  in  the  field ;  there  was  no  living  soul  in  sight 
or  hearing. 

The  good  genius,  which  thus  far  through  life  has 
saved  me  from  the  hands  of  violence,  at  that  moment 


134  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

suggested  a  lucky  thought.  With  a  vigorous  and 
sudden  kick,  that  brought  him  on  one  knee,  with  a 
groan,  I  released  mj  hold  upon  his  throat,  snatched 
the  hatchet,  and  cast  it  beyond  reach. 

Frantic  with  rage,  maddened  beyond  control,  he 
seized  a  white  oak  stick,  five  feet  long,  perhaps,  and 
as  large  in  circumference  as  his  hand  could  grasp, 
which  was  lying  on  the  ground.  Again  he  rushed 
towards  me,  and  again  I  met  him,  seized  him  about 
the  waist,  and  being  the  stronger  of  the  two,  bore 
him  to  the  earth.  "While  in  that  position  I  obtained 
possession  of  the  stick,  and  rising,  cast  it  from  me, 
also. 

He  likewise  arose  and  ran  for  the  broad-axe,  on  the 
work-bench.  Fortunately,  there  was  a  heavy  plank 
lying  upon  its  broad  blade,  in  such  a  manner  that  he 
could  not  extricate  it,  before  I  had  sprung  upon  his 
back.  Pressing  him  down  closely  and  heavily  on  the 
plank,  so  that  the  axe  was  held  more  firmly  to  its 
place,  I  endeavored,  but  in  vain,  to  break  his  grasp 
upon  the  handle.  In  that  position  we  remained  some 
minutes. 

There  have  been  hours  in  my  unhappy  life,  many 
of  them,  when  the  contemplation  of  death  as  the  end 
of  earthly  sorrow  —  of  the  grave  as  a  resting  place 
for  the  tired  and  worn  out  body  —  has  been  pleasant 
to  dwell  upon.  But  such  contemplations  vanish  in  the 
hour  of  peril.  "No  man,  in  his  full  strength,  can 
stand  undismayed,  in  the  presence  of  the  "  king  of 
terrors."     Life   is   dear  to  every   living  thing;   the 


TEMPTATION   TO   MURDER   TD3EATS.  135 

worm  that  crawls  upon  the  ground  will  struggle  for 
it.  At  that  moment  it  was  dear  to  me,  enslaved  and 
treated  as  I  was. 

ISTot  able  to  unloose  his  hand,  once  more  I  seized 
him  by  the  throat,  and  this  time,  with  a  vice-like 
gripe  that  soon  relaxed  his  hold.  He  became  pliant 
and  unstrung.  His  face,  that  had  been  white  with 
passion,  was  now  black  from  suffocation.  Those  small 
serpent  eyes  that  spat  such  venom,  were  now  full  of 
horror — two  great  white  orbs  starting  from  their 
sockets ! 

There  was  "  a  lurking  devil"  in  my  heart  that 
prompted  me  to  kill  the  human  blood-hound  on  the 
spot  —  to  retain  the  gripe  on  his  accursed  throat  till 
the  breath  of  life  was  gone !  I  dared  not  murder 
him,  and  I  dared  not  let  him  live.  If  I  killed  him, 
my  life  must  pay  the  forfeit  —  if  he  lived,  my  life 
only  would  satisfy  his  vengeance.  A  voice  within 
whispered  me  to  fly.  To  be  a  wanderer  among  the 
swamps,  a  fugitive  and  a  vagabond  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  was  preferable  to  the  life  that  I  was  lead- 
ing. 

My  resolution  was  soon  formed,  and  swinging  him 
from  the  work-bench  to  the  ground,  I  leaped  a  fence 
near  by,  and  hurried  across  the  plantation,  passing 
the  slaves  at  work  in  the  cotton  field.  At  the  end  of 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  I  reached  the  wood-pasture,  and 
it  was  a  short  time  indeed  that  I  had  been  running 
it.  Climbing  on  to  a  high  fence,  I  could  see  the 
cotton  press,  the  great  house,  and  the  space  between. 


136  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLA\  £. 

It  was  a  conspicuous  position,  from  whence  the  whole 
plantation  was  in  view.  I  saw  Tibeats  cross  the  field 
towards  the  house,  and  enter  it  — •  then  he  came  out, 
carrying  his  saddle,  and  presently  mounted  his  horse 
and  galloped  away. 

I  was  desolate,  but  thankful.  Thankful  that  my 
life  was  spared, —  desolate  and  discouraged  with  the 
prospect  before  me.  What  would  become  of  me  ? 
Who  would  befriend  me  ?  Whither  should  I  fly  ? 
Oh,  God !  Thou  who  gavest  me  life,  and  implanted 
in  my  bosom  the  love  of  life  —  who  filled  it  with 
emotions  such  as  other  men,  thy  creatures,  have,  do 
not  forsake  me.  Have  pity  on  the  poor  slave  —  let 
me  not  perish.  If  thou  dost  not  protect  me,  I  am. 
lost  —  lost!  Such  supplications,  silently  and  unut- 
tered,  ascended  from  my  inmost  heart  to  Heaven. 
But  there  was  no  answering  voice  —  no  sweet,  low 
tone,  coming  down  from  on  high,  whispering  to  my 
soul,  "  It  is  I,  be  not  afraid."  I  was  the  forsaken  of 
God,  it  seemed  —  the  despised  and  hated  of  men ! 

In  about  three-fourths  of  an  hour  several  of  the 
slaves  shouted  and  made  signs  for  me  to  run.  Pres- 
ently, looking  up  the  bayou,  I  saw  Tibeats  and  two 
others  on  horse-back,  coming  at  a  fast  gait,  followed 
by  a  troop  of  dogs.  There  were  as  many  as  eight  or 
ten.  Distant  as  I  was,  I  knew  them.  They  belonged 
on  the  adjoining  plantation.  The  dogs  used  on  Bayou 
Boeuf  for  hunting  slaves  are  a  kind  of  blood-hound, 
but  a  far  more  savage  breed  than  is  found  in  the 
Northern  States.     They  will  attack  a  negro,  at  their 


PURSUED   BY   HOUNDS.  137 

master's  bidding,  and  cling  to  him  as  the  common 
bull-dog  will  cling  to  a  four  footed  animal.  Fre- 
quently their  loud  bay  is  heard  in  the  swamps,  and 
then  there  is  speculation  as  to  what  point  the  runaway 
will  be  overhauled  —  the  same  as  alSTew-York  hunter 
stops  to  listen  to  the  hounds  coursing  along  the  hill- 
sides, and  suggests  to  his  companion  that  the  fox  will 
be  taken  at  such  a  place.  I  never  knew,  a  slave  es- 
caping with  his  life  from  Bayou  Bceuf.  One  reason 
is,  they  are  not  allowed  to  learn  the  art  of  swimming, 
and  are  incapable  of  crossing  the  most  inconsiderable 
stream.  In  their  flight  they  can  go  in  no  direction 
but  a  little  way  without  coming  to  a  bayou,  when  the 
inevitable  alternative  is  presented,  of  being  drowned 
or  overtaken  by  the  dogs.  In  youth  I  had  practised 
in  the  clear  streams  that  flow  through  my  native  dis- 
trict, until  I  had  become  an  expert  swimmer,  and  felt 
at  home  in  the  watery  element. 

I  stood  upon  the  fence  until  the  dogs  had  reached 
the  cotton  press.  In  an  instant  more,  their  long,  sav- 
age yells  announced  they  were  on  my  track.  Leap- 
ing down  from  my  position,  I  ran  towards  the  swamp. 
Fear  gave  me  strength,  and  I  exerted  it  to  the  utmost. 
Every  few  moments  I  could  hear  the  yelpings  of  the 
dogs.  They  were  gaining  upon  me.  Every  howl 
was  nearer  and  nearer.  Each  moment  I  expected 
they  would  spring  upon  my  back  —  expected  to  feel 
their  long  teeth  sinking  into  my  flesh.  There  were 
so  many  of  them,  I  knew  they  would  tear  me  to  pie- 
ces, that  they  would  worry  me,  at  once,  to  death,     I 


138  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

gasped  for  breath  —  gasped  forth  a  half-uttered,  cho- 
king prayer  to  the  Almighty  to  save  me  — to  give  me 
strength  to  reach  some  wide,  deep  bayou  where  I 
could  throw  them  off  the  track,  or  sink  into  its  wa- 
ters. Presently  I  reached  a  thick  palmetto  bottom. 
As  I  fled  through  them  they  made  a  loud  rustling 
noise,  not  loud  enough,  however,  to  drown  the  voices 
of  the  dogs. 

Continuing  my  course  due  south,  as  nearly  as  I  can 
judge,  I  came  at  length  to  water  just  over  shoe. 
The  hounds  at  that  moment  could  not  have  been  five 
rods  behind  me.  I  could  hear  them  crashing  and 
plunging  through  the  palmettoes,  their  loud,  eager 
yells  making  the  whole  swamp  clamorous  with  the 
sound.  Hope  revived  a  little  as  I  reached  the  water. 
If  it  were  only  deeper,  they  might  loose  the  scent,  and 
thus  disconcerted,  afford  me  the  opportunity  of  eva- 
ding them.  Luckily,  it  grew  deeper  the  farther  I 
proceeded  —  now  over  my  ankles  —  now  half-way  to 
my  knees  —  now  sinking  a  moment  to  my  waist,  and 
then  emerging  presently  into  more  shallow  places. 
The  dogs  had  not  gained  upon  me  since  I  struck  the 
water.  Evidently  they  were  confused.  Now  their 
savage  intonations  grew  more  and  more  distant,  as- 
suring me  that  I  was  leaving  them.  Finally  I  stop- 
ped to  listen,  but  the  long  howl  came  booming  on  the 
air  again,  telling  me  I  was  not  yet  safe.  From  bog  to 
bog,  where  I  had  stepped,  they  could  still  keep  upon 
the  track,  though  impeded  by  the  water.  At  length, 
to  my  great  joy,  I  came  to  a  wide  bayou,  and  plung- 


I    EEACn   THE   WATER.  139 

ing  in,  had  soon  stemmed  its  sluggish  current  to  the 
other  side.  There,  certainly,  the  dogs  would  be  con- 
founded—  the  current  carrying  down  the  stream  all 
traces  of  that  slight,  mysterious  scent,  which  enables 
the  quick-smelling  hound  to  follow  in  the  track  of  the 
fugitive. 

After  crossing  this  bayou  the  water  became  so 
deep  I  could  not.  run.  I  was  now  in  what  I  after- 
wards learned  was  the  "  Great  Pacoudrie  Swamp." 
It  was  filled  with  immense  trees  ■ —  the  sycamore,  the 
gum,  the  cotton  wood  and  cypress,  and  extends,  I  am 
informed,  to  the  shore  of  the  Calcasieu  river.  For 
thirty  or  forty  miles  it  is  without  inhabitants,  save 
wild  beasts  —  the  bear,  the  wild-cat,  the  tiger,  and 
great  slimy  reptiles,  that  are  crawling  through  it 
everywhere.  Long  before  I  reached  the  bayou,  in 
fact,  from  the  time  I  struck  the  water  until  I  emer- 
ged from  the  swamp  on  my  return,  these  reptiles 
surrounded  me.  I  saw  hundreds  of  moccasin  snakes. 
Every  log  and  bog  —  every  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree, 
over  which  I  was  compelled  to  step  or  climb,  was 
alive  with  them.  They  crawled  away  at  my  ap- 
proach, but  sometimes  in  my  haste,  I  almost  placed 
my  hand  or  foot  upon  them.  They  are  poisonous 
serpents—  their  bite  more  fatal  than  the  rattlesnake's. 
Besides,  I  had  lost  one  shoe,  the  sole  having  come 
entirely  off,  leaving  the  upper  only  dangling  to  my 
ankle. 

I  saw  also  many  alligators,  great  and  small,  lying 
in  the  water,  or  on  pieces  of  fioodwood.     The  noise  I 


140  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

made  usually  startled  them,  when  they  moved  off  and 
plunged  into  the  deepest  places.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, I  would  come  directly  upon  a  monster  before 
observing  it.  In  such  cases,  I  would  start  back,  run 
a  short  way  round,  and  in  that  manner  shun  them. 
Straight  forward,  they  will  run  a  short  distance  rapidly, 
but  do  not  possess  the  power  of  turning.  In  a  crook- 
ed race,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  evading  them. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  heard  the 
last  of  the  hounds.  Probably  they  did  not  cross  the 
bayou.  "Wet  and  weary,  but  relieved  from  the  sense 
of  instant  peril,  I  continued  on,  more  cautious  and 
afraid,  however,  of  the  snakes  and  alligators  than  I 
had  been  in  the  earlier  portion  of  my  flight.  ]STow, 
before  stepping  into  a  muddy  pool,  I  would  strike 
the  water  with  a  stick.  If  the  waters  moved,  I  would 
go  around  it,  if  not,  would  venture  through. 

At  length  the  sun  went  down,  and  gradually  night's 
trailing  mantle  shrouded  the  great  swamp  in  dark- 
ness. Still  I  staggered  on,  fearing  every  instant  I 
should  feel  the  dreadful  sting  of  the  moccasin,  or  be 
crushed  within  the  jaws  of  some  disturbed  alligator. 
The  dread  of  them  now  almost  equaled  the  fear  of 
the  pursuing  hounds.  The  moon  arose  after  a  time, 
its  mild  light  creeping  through  the  overspreading 
branches,  loaded  with  long,  pendent  moss.  I  kept 
traveling  forwards  until  after  midnight,  hoping  all 
the  while  that  I  would  soon  emerge  into  some  less 
desolate  and  dangerous  region.  But  the  water  grew 
deeper  and  the  walking  more  difficult  than  ever.    I 


NIGHT   IN"   THE   SWAMP.  141 

perceived  it  would  be  impossible  to  proceed  much, 
farther,  and  knew  not,  moreover,  what  hands  I  might 
fall  into,  should  I  succeed  in  reaching  a  human  hab- 
itation. Not  provided  with  a  pass,  any  white  man 
would  be  at  liberty  to  arrest  me,  and  place  me  in 
prison  until  such  time  as  my  master  should  "  prove 
property,  pay  charges,  and  take  me  away."  I  was  an 
estray,  and  if  so  unfortunate  as  to  meet  a  law-abiding 
citizen  of  Louisiana,  he  would  deem  it  his  duty  to  his 
neighbor,  perhaps,  to  put  me  forthwith  in  the  pound. 
Really,  it  vas  difficult  to  determine  which  I  had  most 
reason  to  fear  —  dogs,  alligators  or  men  ! 

After  midnight,  however,  I  came  to  a  halt.  Ima- 
gination cannot  picture  the  dreariness  of  the  scene. 
The  swamp  was  resonant  with  the  quacking  of  innu- 
merable ducks !  Since  the  foundation  of  the  earth, 
in  all  probability,  a  human  footstep  had  never  before 
so  far  penetrated  the  recesses  of  the  swamp.  It  was 
not  silent  now  —  silent  to  a  degree  that  rendered  it 
oppressive, —as  it  was  when  the  sun  was  shining  in 
the  heavens.  My  midnight  intrusion  had  awakened 
the  feathered  tribes,  which  seemed  to  throng  the  mo- 
rass in  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  their  garrulous 
throats  poured  forth  such  multitudinous  sounds  — ■ 
there  was  such  a  fluttering  of  wings  —  such  sullen 
plunges  in  the  water  all  around  me  —  that  I  was  af- 
frighted and  appalled.  All  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and 
all  the  creeping  things  of  the  earth  appeared  to  have 
assembled  together  in  that  particular  place,  for  the 
purpose  of  filling  it  with  clamor  and  confusion.     Not 


142  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

by  human  dwellings  —  not  in  crowded  cities  alone, 
are  the  sights  and  sounds  of  life.  The  wildest  places 
of  the  earth  are  full  of  them.  Even  in  the  heart  of 
that  dismal  swamp,  God  had  provided  a  refuge  and  a 
dwelling  place  for  millions  of  living  things. 

The  moon  had  now  risen  above  the  trees,  when  I 
resolved  upon  a  new  project.  Thus  far  Iliad  endeav- 
ored to  travel  as  nearly  south  as  possible.  Turning 
about  I  proceeded  in  a  north-west  direction,  my  ob- 
ject being  to  strike  the  Pine  "Woods  in  the  vicinity  of 
Master  Ford's.  Once  within  the  shadow  of  his  pro- 
tection, I  felt  I  would  be  comparatively  safe. 

My  clothes  were  in  tatters,  my  hands,  face,  and 
body  covered  with  scratches,  received  from  the  sharp 
knots  of  fallen  trees,  and  in  climbing  over  piles  of 
brush  and  fioodwood.  My  bare  foot  was  full  of  thorns. 
I  was  besmeared  with  muck  and  mud,  and  the  green 
slime  that  had  collected  on  the  surface  of  the  dead 
water,  in  which  I  had  been  immersed  to  the  neck 
many  times  during  the  day  and  night.  Hour  after 
hour,  and  tiresome  indeed  had  they  become,  I  contin- 
ued to  plod  along  on  my  north-west  course.  The  wa- 
ter began  to  grow  less  deep,  and  the  ground  more  firm 
under  my  feet.  At  last  I  reached  the  Pacoudrie,  the 
same  wide  bayou  I  had  swam  while  "  outward 
bound."  I  swam  it  again,  and  shortly  after  thought 
I  heard  a  cock  crow,  but  the  sound  was  faint,  and  it 
might  have  been  a  mockery  of  the  ear.  The  water 
■receded  from  my  advancing  footsteps  —  now  I  had 
left  the  bogs  behind  me — now  I  was  on  dryland 


THE   SLAVE  AND   HIS   MASTER.  143 

tliat  gradually  ascended  to  the  plain,  and  I  knew  \ 
was  somewhere  in  the  "  Great  Pine  Woods." 

Just  at  day -break  I  came  to  an  opening  —  a  sort  of 
small  plantation  —  but  one  I  had  never  seen  before. 
In  the  edge  of  the  woods  I  came  upon  two  men,  a 
slave  and  his  young  master,  engaged  in  catching  wild 
hogs.  The  white  man  I  knew  would  demand  my 
pass,  and  not  able  to  give  him  one,  would  take  me 
into  possession.  I  was  too  wearied  to  run  again,  and 
too  desperate  to  be  taken,  and  therefore  adopted  a 
ruse  that  proved  entirely  successful.  Assuming  a 
fierce  expression,  I  walked  directly  towards  him,  look- 
ing him  steadily  in  the  face.  As  I  approached,  he 
moved  backwards  with  an  air  of  alarm.  It  was  plain 
he  was  much  affrighted  —  that  he  looked  upon  me  as 
some  infernal  goblin,  just  arisen  from  the  bowels  of 
the  swamp  ! 

"  "Where  does  William  Ford  live  ?  "  I  demanded,  in 
no  gentle  tone. 

"  He  lives  seven  miles  from  here,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Which  is  the  way  to  his  place  ?  "  I  again  demand- 
ed, trying  to  look  more  fiercely  than  ever. 

"  Do  you  see  those  pine  trees  yonder  ? "  he  asked, 
pointing  to  two,  a  mile  distant,  that  rose  far  above 
their  fellows,  like  a  couple  of  tall  sentinels,  overlook- 
ing the  broad  expanse  of  forest. 

"  I  see  them,"  was  the  answer. 

"  At  the  feet  of  those  pine  trees,"  he  continued, 
"  runs  the  Texas  road.  Turn  to  the  left,  and  it  will 
lead  you  to  William  Ford's." 


144  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

"Without  further  parley,  I  hastened  forward,  happy 
as  he  was,  no  doubt,  to  place  the  widest  possible  dis- 
tance between  us.  Striking  the  Texas  road,  I  turned 
to  the  left  hand,  as  directed,  and  soon  passed  a  great 
fire,  where  a  pile  of  logs  were  burning.  I  went  to  it, 
thinking  I  would  dry  my  clothes  ;  but  the  gray  light 
of  the  morning  was  fast  breaking  away, —  some  pass- 
ing white  man  might  observe  me ;  besides,  the  heat 
overpowered  me  with  the  desire  of  sleep  :  so,  linger- 
ing no  longer,  I  continued  my  travels,  and  finally, 
about  eight  o'clock,  reached  the  house  of  Master  Ford. 

The  slaves  were  all  absent  from  the  quarters,  at 
their  work.  Stepping  on  to  the  piazza,  I  knocked  at 
the  door,  which  was  soon  opened  by  Mistress  Ford. 
My  appearance  was  so  changed  —  I  was  in  such  a  wo- 
begone  and  forlorn  condition,  she  did  not  know  me. 
Inquiring  if  Master  Ford  was  at  home,  that  good  man 
made  his  appearance,  before  the  question  could  be 
answered.  I  told  him  of  my  flight,  and  all  the  par- 
ticulars connected  with  it.  He  listened  attentively, 
and  when  I  had  concluded,  spoke  to  me  kindly  and 
sympathetically,  and  taking  me  to  the  kitchen,  called 
John,  and  ordered  him  to  prepare  me  food.  I  had 
tasted  nothing  since  daylight  the  previous  morning. 

"When  John  had  set  the  meal  before  me,  the  madam 
came  out  with  a  bowl  of  milk,  and  many  little  deli- 
cious dainties,  such  as  rarely  please  the  palate  of  a 
slave.  I  was  hungry,  and  I  was  weary,  but  neither 
food  nor  rest  afforded  half  the  pleasure  as  did  the 
blessed  voices  speaking  kindness  and  consolation.     It 


FOOD   AND   BEST.  145 

was  the  oil  and  the  wine  which  the  Good  Samaritan 
in  the  "  Great  Pine  Woods  "  was  ready  to  pour  into 
the  wounded  spirit  of  the  slave,  who  came  to  him, 
stripped  of  his  raiment  and  half-dead. 

They  left  me  in  the  cabin,  that  I  might  rest.  Blessed 
be  sleep  !  It  visiteth  all  alike,  descending  as  the  dews 
of  heaven  on  the  bond  and  free.  Soon  it  nestled  to  my 
bosom,  driving  away  the  troubles  that  oppressed  it,  and 
bearing  me  to  that  shadowy  region,  where  I  saw  again 
the  faces,  and  listened  to  the  voices  of  my  children, 
who,  alas,  for  aught  I  knew  in  my  waking  hours,  had 
fallen  into  the  arms  of  that  other  sleep,  from  which 
they  never  would  arouse. 

G  10 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE     MISTRESS'    GARDEN THE     CRIMSON     AND     GOLDEN      FRUIT ORANGB 

AND  POMEGRANATE   TREES RETURN    TO  BAYOU   BCEUF MASTER  FORD's 

REMARKS  ON  THE  WAY THE  MEETING    WITH  TrBEATS HIS  ACCOUNT  OF 

THE  CHASE FORD  CENSURES  HIS  BRUTALITY ARRIVAL  AT  THE  PLANTA- 
TION  ASTONISHMENT   OF  THE  SLAVES  ON  SEEING  ME THE  ANTICIPATED 

FLOGGING KENTUCKY     JOHN MR.    ELDRET,    THE   PLANTER ELDRET's 

SAM TRIP  TO  THE    "BIG    CANE  BRAKE" THE  TRADITION  OF    "SUTTON'S 

FIELD" FOREST  TREES GNATS  AND  MOSQUITOS THE  ARRIVAL  OF  BLACK 

WOMEN  IN    THE   BIG  CANE LUMBER   WOMEN SUDDEN    APPEARANCE  OF 

TIBEATS HIS     PROVOKING     TREATMENT VISIT    TO    BAYOU    BCEUF THE 

8LAVE   PASS SOUTHERN    HOSPITALITY THE    LAST   OF   ELIZA SALE  TO 

KDWIN  EPPS. 

After  a  long  sleep,  sometime  in  the  afternoon  I 
awoke,  refreshed,  but  very  sore  and  stiff.  Sally  came 
in  and  talked  with  me,  while  John  cooked  me  some 
dinner.  Sally  was  in  great  trouble,  as  well  as  myself, 
one  of  her  children  being  ill,  and  she  feared  it  could 
not  survive.  Dinner  over,  after  walking  about  the 
quarters  for  a  while,  visiting  Sally's  cabin  and  looking 
at  the  sick  child,  I  strolled  into  the  madam's  garden. 
Though  it  was  a  season  of  the  year  when  the  voices 
of  the  birds  are  silent,  and  the  trees  are  stripped  of 
their  summer  glories  in  more  frigid  climes,  yet  the 
whole  variety  of  roses  were  then  blooming  there,  and 


THE  MISTRESS'    GARDEN.  147 

the  long,  luxuriant  vines  creeping  over  the  frames. 
The  crimson  and  golden  fruit  hung  half  hidden  amidst 
the  younger  and  older  blossoms  of  the  peach,  the  or- 
ange, the  plum,  and  the  pomegranate  ;  for,  in  that 
region  of  almost  perpetual  warmth,  the  leaves  are 
falling  and  the  buds  bursting  into  bloom  the  whole 
year  long. 

I  indulged  the  most  grateful  feelings  towards  Mas- 
ter and  Mistress  Ford,  and  wishing  in  some  manner 
to  repay  their  kindness,  commenced  trimming  the 
vines,  and  afterwards  weeding  out  the  grass  from 
among  the  orange  and  pomegranate  trees.  The  latter 
grows  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  and  its  fruit,  though  lar- 
ger, is  similar  in  appearance  to  the  jelly -flower.  It 
has  the  luscious  flavor  of  the  strawberry.  Oranges, 
peaches,  plums,  and  most  other  fruits  are  indigenous 
to  the  rich,  warm  soil  of  Avoyelles  ;  but  the  apple,  the 
most  common  of  them  all  in  colder  latitudes,  is  rare- 
ly to  be  seen. 

Mistress  Ford  came  out  presently,  saying  it  was 
praise-worthy  in  me,  but  I  was  not  in  a  condition  to  la- 
bor, and  might  rest  myself  at  the  quarters  until  mas- 
ter should  go  down  to  Bayou  Bceuf,  which  would  not 
be  that  day,  and  it  might  not  be  the  next.  I  said  to 
her — to  be  sure,  I  felt  bad,  and  was  stiff,  and  that 
my  foot  pained  me,  the  stubs  and  thorns  having  so 
torn  it ,  but  thought  such  exercise  would  not  hurt 
me,  and  that  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  work  for  so 
good  a  mistress.  Thereupon  she  returned  to  the  great 
house,  and  for  three  days  I  was  diligent  in  the  garden, 


148  TWELVE    TEAE3    A   SLATE. 

cleaning  the  walks,  weeding  the  flower  beds,  and 
pulling  up  the  rank  grass  beneath  the  jessamine  vines, 
which  the  gentle  and  generous  hand  of  my  protectress 
had  taught  to  clamber  along  the  walls. 

The  fourth  morning,  having  become  recruited  and 
refreshed,  Master  Ford  ordered  me  to  make  ready  to 
accompany  him  to  the  bayou.  There  was  but  one 
saddle  horse  at  the  opening,  all  the  others  with 
the  mules  having  been  sent  down  to  the  plantation. 
I  said  I  could  walk,  and  bidding  Sally  and  John  good- 
bye, left  the  opening,  trotting  along  by  the  horse's 
side. 

That  little  paradise  in  the  Great  Pine  Woods  was 
the  oasis  in  the  desert,  towards  which  my  heart  turn- 
ed lovingly,  during  many  years  of  bondage.  I  went 
forth  from  it  now  with  regret  and  sorrow,  not  so  over- 
whelming, however,  as  if  it  had  then  been  given  me 
to  know  that  I  should  never  return  to  it  again. 

Master  Ford  urged  me  to  take  his  place  occasion- 
ally on  the  horse,  to  rest  me  ;  but  I  said  no,  I  was  not 
tired,  and  it  was  better  for  me  to  walk  than  him.  He 
said  many  kind  and  cheering  things  to  me  on  the  way, 
riding  slowly,  in  order  that  I  might  keep  pace  with 
him.  The  goodness  of  God  was  manifest,  he  declared, 
in  my  miraculous  escape  from  the  swamp.  As  Dan- 
iel came  forth  unharmed  from  the  den  of  lions,  and 
as  Jonah  had  been  preserved  in  the  whale's  belly, 
even  so  had  I  been  delivered  from  evil  by  the  Al- 
mighty. He  interrogated  me  in  regard  to  the  various 
fears  and  emotions  I  had  experienced  during  the  day 


ford's  remarks  on  the  WAT.  149 

and  night,  and  if  I  had  felt,  at  any  time,  a  desire  to 
pray.  I  felt  forsaken  of  the  whole  world,  I  answered 
him,  and  was  praying  mentally  all  the  while.  At 
snch  times,  said  he,  the  heart  of  man  turns  instinct- 
ively towards  his  Maker.  In  prosperity,  and  when 
there  is  nothing  to  injure  or  make  him  afraid,  he  re- 
members Him  not,  and  is  ready  to  defy  Him ;  but 
place  him  in  the  midst  of  dangers,  cut  him  off  from 
human  aid,  let  the  grave  open  before  him  —  then  it 
is,  in  the  time  of  his  tribulation,  that  the  scoffer  and 
unbelieving  man  turns  to  God  for  help,  feeling  there 
is  no  other  hope,  or  refuge,  or  safety,  save  in  his  pro- 
tecting arm. 

So  did  that  benignant  man  speak  to  me  of  this  life 
and  of  the  life  hereafter  ;  of  the  goodness  and  power 
of  God,  and  of  the  vanity  of  earthly  things,  as  we 
journeyed  along  the  solitary  road  towards  Bayou 
Boeuf. 

When  within  some  five  miles  of  the  plantation,  we 
discovered  a  horseman  at  a  distance,  galloping  tow- 
ards us.  As  he  came  near  I  saw  that  it  was  Tibeats  ! 
He  looked  at  me  a  moment,  but  did  not  address  me, 
and  turning  about,  rode  along  side  by  side  with  Ford. 
I  trotted  silently  at  their  horses'  heels,  listing  to  their 
conversation.  Ford  informed  him  of  my  arrival  in 
the  Pine  "Woods  three  days  before,  of  the  sad  plight  I 
was  in,  and  of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  I  had  en- 
countered. 

"  "Well,"  exclaimed  Tibeats,  omitting  his  usual  oaths 
in  the  presence  of  Ford,  "  I  never  saw  such  running 


150  TWELVE   YEARS    A   SLAVE. 

before.  I'll  bet  him  against  a  hundred  dollars,  he'll 
beat  any  nigger  in  Louisiana.  I  offered  John  David 
Cheney  twenty-five  dollars  to  catch  him,  dead  or  alive, 
but  he  outran  his  dogs  in  a  fair  race.  Them  Cheney 
dogs  ain't  much,  after  all.  Dunwoodie's  hounds 
would  have  had  him  down  before  he  touched  the  pal- 
mettoes.  Somehow  the  dogs  got  off  the  track,  and  we 
had  to  give  up  the  hunt.  We  rode  the  horses  as  far 
as  we  could,  and  then  kept  on  foot  till  the  water  was 
three  feet  deep.  The  boys  said  he  was  drowned,  sure. 
I  allow  I  wanted  a  shot  at  him  mightily.  Ever  since, 
I  have  been  riding  up  and  down  the  bayou,  but  had'nt 
much  hope  of  catching  him  —  thought  he  was  dead, 
sartin.     Oh,  he's  a  cuss  to  run  —  that  nigger  is !" 

In  this  way  Tibeats  ran  on,  describing  his  search  in 
the  swamp,  the  wonderful  speed  with  which  I  had 
fled  before  the  hounds,  and  when  he  had  finished, 
Master  Ford  responded  by  saying,  I  had  always  been 
a  willing  and  faithful  boy  with  him ;  that  he  was  sor- 
ry we  had  such  trouble ;  that,  according  to  Piatt's 
story,  he  had  been  inhumanly  treated,  and  that  he, 
Tibeats,  was  himself  in  fault.  Using  hatchets  and 
broad-axes  upon  slaves  was  shameful,  and  should  not 
be  allowed,  he  remarked.  "This  is  no  way  of  dealing 
with  them,  when  first  brought  into  the  country.  It 
will  have  a  pernicious  influence,  and  set  them  all  run- 
ning away.  The  swamps  will  be  full  of  them.  A  lit- 
tle kindness  would  be  far  more  effectual  in  restraining 
them,  and  rendering  them  obedient,  than  the  use  of 
such  deadly  weapons.     Every  planter  on  the  bayou 


FOKD   CENSURES   TTBEATS.  151 

should  frown  upon  such  inhumanity.  It  is  for  the  in- 
terest of  all  to  do  so.  It  is  evident  enough,  Mr.  Tib- 
eats,  that  you  and  Piatt  cannot  live  together.  You 
dislike  him,  and  would  not  hesitate  to  kill  him,  and 
knowing  it,  he  will  run  from  you  again  through  fear 
of  his  life.  Now,  Tibeats,  you  must  sell  him,  or  hire 
him  out,  at  least.  Unless  you  do  so,  I  shall  take 
measures  to  get  him  out  of  your  possession." 

In  this  spirit  Ford  addressed  him  the  remainder  of 
the  distance.  I  opened  not  my  mouth.  On  reaching 
the  plantation  they  entered  the  great  house,  while  I 
repaired  to  Eliza's  cabin.  The  slaves  were  astonish- 
ed to  find  me  there,  on  returning  from  the  field,  sup- 
posing I  was  drowned.  That  night,  again,  they  gath- 
ered about  the  cabin  to  listen  to  the  story  of  my 
adventure.  They  took  it  for  granted  I  would  be  whip- 
ped, and  that  it  would  be  severe,  the  well-known  pen- 
alty of  running  away  being  five  hundred  lashes. 

"  Poor  fellow,"  said  Eliza,  taking  me  by  the  hand, 
"  it  would  have  been  better  for  you  if  you  had  drown- 
ed. You  have  a  cruel  master,  and  he  will  kill  you 
yet,  I  am  afraid." 

Lawson  suggested  that  it  might  be,  overseer  Cha- 
pin  would  be  appointed  to  inflict  the  punishment,  in 
which  case  it  would  not  be  severe,  whereupon  Mary, 
Rachel,  Bristol,  and  others  hoped  it  would  be  Master 
Ford,  and  then  it  would  be  no  whipping  at  all.  They 
all  pitied  me  and  tried  to  console  me,  and  were  sad  in 
view  of  the  castigation  that  awaited  me,  except  Ken- 
tucky John.     There  were  no  bounds  to  his  laughter ; 


152  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

lie  filled  the  cabin  with  cachinnations,  holding  his  sides 
to  prevent  an  explosion,  and  the  cause  of  his  noisy 
mirth  was  the  idea  of  my  outstripping  the  hounds. 
Somehow,  he  looked  at  the  subject  in  a  comical  light. 
"  I  hnow'd  dey  would'nt  cotch  him,  when  he  run  cross 
de  plantation.  O,  de  lor',  did'nt  Piatt  pick  his  feet 
right  up,  tho',  hey  ?  When  dem  dogs  got  whar  he 
was,  he  was'nt  dar  —  haw,  haw,  haw  !  O,  de  lor'  a' 
mity  !"  —  and  then  Kentucky  John  relapsed  into  an- 
other of  his  boisterous  fits. 

Early  the  next  morning,  Tibeats  left  the  plantation. 
In  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  while  sauntering  about 
the  gin-house^  a  tall,  good-looking  man  came  to  me, 
and  inquired  if  I  was  Tibeats'  boy,  that  youthful  ap- 
pellation being  applied  indiscriminately  to  slaves 
even  though  they  may  have  passed  the  number  of 
three  score  years  and  ten.  I  took  off  my  hat,  and  an- 
swered that  I  was. 

"How  would  you  like  to  work  for  me?"  he  in- 
quired. 

"  Oh,  I  would  like  to,  very  much,"  said  I,  inspired 
with  a  sudden  hope  of  getting  away  from  Tibeats. 

"  You  worked  under  Myers  at  Peter  Tanner's,  didn't 
you  ? " 

I  replied  I  had,  adding  some  complimentary  re- 
marks that  Myers  had  made  concerning  me. 

"  Well,  boy,"  said  he,  "  I  have  hired  you  of  your 
master  to  work  for  me  in  the  "  Big  Cane  Brake," 
thirty-eight  miles  from  here,  clown  on  Red  River." 

This  man  was  Mr.  Eldret,  who  lived  below  Ford's, 


ELDEET,  THE  PLANTER.  153 

on  the  same  side  of  the  bayou.  I  accompanied  him 
to  his  plantation,  and  in  the  morning  started  with  his 
slave  Sam,  and  a  Avagon-load  of  provisions,  drawn  by 
four  mules,  for  the  Big  Cane,  Eldret  and  Myers  hav- 
ing preceded  us  on  horseback.  This  Sam  was  a  na- 
tive of  Charleston,  where  he  had  a  mother,  brother 
and  sisters.  He  "  allowed  " —  a  common  word  among 
both  black  and  white  —  that  Tibeats  was  a  mean  man, 
and  hoped,  as  I  most  earnestly  did  also,  that  his  mas- 
ter would  buy  me. 

"We  proceeded  down  the  south  shore  of  the  bayou, 
crossing  it  at  Carey's  plantation ;  from  thence  to  Huff 
Power,  passing  which,  we  came  upon  the  Bayou 
Rouge  road,  which  runs  towards  Red  River.  After 
passing  through  Bayou  Rouge  Swamp,  .and  just  at 
sunset,  turning  from  the  highway,  we  struck  off  into 
the  "  Big  Cane  Brake."  We  followed  an  unbeaten 
track,  scarcely  wide  enough  to  admit  the  wagon. 
The  cane,  such  as  are  used  for  fishing-rods,  were  as 
thick  as  they  could  stand.  A  person  could  not  be 
seen  through  them  the  distance  of  a  rod.  The  paths 
of  wild  beasts  run  through  them  in  various  directions 
—  the  bear  and  the  American  tiger  abounding  in  these 
brakes,  and  wherever  there  is  a  basin  of  stagnant  wa- 
ter, it  is  full  of  alligators. 

We  kept  on  our  lonely  course  through  the  "  Big 
Cane"  several  miles,  when  we  entered  a  clearing, 
known  as  "  Sutton's  Field."  Many  years  before,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Sutton  had  penetrated  the  wilder- 
ness of  cane  to  this  solitary  place.  Tradition  has  it, 
G* 


154  TWELVE   YEAE3    A    SLATE. 

that  he  fled  thither,  a  fugitive,  not  from  service,  but 
from  justice.  Here  he  lived  alone  —  recluse  and  her- 
mit of  the  swamp — with  his  own  hands  planting  the 
seed  and  gathering  in  the  harvest.  One  day  a  band 
of  Indians  stole  upon  his  solitude,  and  after  a  bloody 
battle,  overpowered  and  massacred  him.  For  miles 
the  country  round,  in  the  slaves'  quarters,  and  on  the 
piazzas  of  "  great  houses,"  where  white  children  listen 
to  superstitious  tales,  the  story  goes,  that  that  spot,  in 
the  heart  of  the  "Big  Cane,"  is  a  haunted  place.  For 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  human  voices  had 
rarely,  if  ever,  disturbed  the  silence  of  the  clearing. 
Kank  and  noxious  weeds  had  overspread  the  once  cul- 
tivated field  —  serpents  sunned  themselves  on  the  door- 
way of  the  crumbling  cabin.  It  was  indeed  a  dreary 
picture  of  desolation. 

Passing  "  Sutton's  Field,"  we  followed  a  new-cnt 
road  two  miles  farther,  which  brought  us  to  its  ter- 
mination. We  had  now  reached  the  wild  lands  of 
Mr.  Eldret,  where  he  contemplated  clearing  up  an 
extensive  plantation.  We  went  to  work  next  morn- 
ing with  our  cane-knives,  and  cleared  a  sufficient 
space  to  allow  the  erection  of  two  cabins  —  one  for 
Myers  and  Eldret,  the  other  for  Sam,  myself,  and  the 
slaves  that  were  to  join  us.  We  were  now  in  the 
midst  of  trees  of  enormous  growth,  whose  wide-spread- 
ing branches  almost  shut  out  the  light  of  the  sun, 
while  the  space  between  the  trunks  was  an .  impervi- 
ous mass  of  cane,  with  here  and  there  an  occasional 
palmetto. 


LIFE   IX   THE   BIG   CANE   BRAKE.  155 

The  bay  and  the  sycamore,  the  oak  and  the  cypress, 
reach  a  growth  unparalleled,  in  those  fertile  lowlands 
bordering  the  Red  River.  From  every  tree,  moreover, 
hang  long,  large  masses  of  moss,  presenting  to  the  eye 
unaccustomed  to  them,  a  striking  and  singular  appear- 
ance. This  moss,  in  large  quantities,  is  sent  north, 
and  there  used  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

We  cut  down  oaks,  split  them  into  rails,  and  with 
these  erected  temporary  cabins.  We  covered  the 
roofs  with  the  broad  palmetto  leaf,  an  excellent  sub- 
stitute for  shingles,  as  long  as  they  last. 

The  greatest  annoyance  I  met  with  here  were  small 
flies,  gnats  and  mosquitoes.  They  swarmed  the  air. 
They  penetrated  the  porches  of  the  ear,  the  nose,  the 
eyes,  the  mouth.  They  sucked  themselves  beneath 
the  skin.  It  was  impossible  to  brush  or  beat  them 
off.  It  seemed,  indeed,  as  if  they  would  devour  us  — 
carry  us  away  piecemeal,  in  their  small  tormenting 
mouths. 

A  lonelier  spot,  or  one  more  disagreeable,  than  the 
centre  of  the  "  Big  Cane  Brake,"  it  would  be  difficult 
to  conceive ;  yet  to  me  it  was  a  paradise,  in  compari- 
son with  any  other  place  in  the  company  of  Master 
Tibeats.  I  labored  hard,  and  oft-times  was  weary  and 
fatigued,  yet  I  could  lie  down  at  night  in  peace,  and 
arise  in  the  morning  without  fear. 

In  the  course  of  a  fortnight,  four  black  girls  came 
down  from  Eldret's  plantation  —  Charlotte,  Fanny, 
Cresia  and  Nelly.  They  were  all  large  and  stout. 
Axes  were  put  into  their  hands,  and  they  were  sent 


156  TWELVE   YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

out  with  Sam  and  myself  to  cut  trees.  They  were 
excellent  choppers,  the  largest  oak  or  sycamore  stand- 
ing but  a  brief  season  before  their  heavy  and  well- 
directed  blows.  At  piling  logs,  they  were  equal  to 
any  man.  There  are  lumberwomen  as  well  as  lum- 
bermen in  the  forests  of  the  South.  In  fact,  in  the 
region  of  the  Bayou  Bceuf  they  perform  their  share  of 
all  the  labor  required  on  the  plantation.  They  plough, 
drag,  drive  team,  clear  wild  lands,  work  on  the  high- 
way, and  so  forth.  Some  planters,  owning  large  cot- 
ton and  sugar  plantations,  have  none  other  than  the 
labor  of  slave  women.  Such  an  one  is  Jim  Burns, 
who  lives  on  the  north  shore  of  the  bayou,  opposite 
the  plantation  of  John  Fogaman. 

On  our  arrival  in  the  brake,  Eldret  promised  me, 
if  I  worked  well,  I  might  go  up  to  visit  my  friends  at 
Ford's  in  four  weeks.  On  Saturday  night  of  the  fifth 
week,  I  reminded  him  of  his  promise,  when  he  told 
me  I  had  done  so  well,  that  I  might  go.  I  had  set 
my  heart  upon  it,  and  Eldret's  announcement  thrilled 
me  with  pleasure.  I  was  to  return  in  time  to  com- 
mence the  labors  of  the  day  on  Tuesday  morning. 

While  indulging  the  pleasant  anticipation  of  so  soon 
meeting  my  old  friends  again,  suddenly  the  hateful 
form  of  Tibeats  appeared  among  us.  He  inquired 
how  Myers  and  Piatt  got  along  together,  and  was 
told,  very  well,  and  that  Piatt  was  going  up  to  Ford's 
plantation  in  the  morning  on  a  visit. 

"  Poh,  poh !  "  sneered  Tibeats  ;  "  it  isn't  worth  while 
—  the  nigger  will  get  unsteady.     He  can't  go." 


TREATMENT   OF   TIBEATS.  157 

But  Eldret  insisted- 1  had  worked  faithfully  —  that 
he  had  given  me  his  promise,  and  that,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, I  ought  not  to  be  disappointed.  They 
then,  it  being  about  dark,  entered  one  cabin  and  I 
the  other.  I  could  not  give  up  the  idea  of  going ;  it 
was  a  sore  disappointment.  Before  morning  I  resolved, 
if  Eldret  made  no  objection,  to  leave  at  all  hazards. 
At  daylight  I  was  at  his  door,  with  my  blanket  rolled 
up  into  a  bundle,  and  hanging  on  a  stick  over  my 
shoulder,  waiting  for  a  pass.  Tibeats  came  out  pre- 
sently in  one  of  his  disagreeable  moods,  washed  his 
face,  and  going  to  a  stump  near  by,  sat  down  upon  it, 
apparently  busily  thinking  with  himself.  After  stand- 
ing there  a  long  time,  impelled  by  a  sudden  impulse 
of  impatience,  I  started  off. 

"  Are  you  going  without  a  pass  ? "  he  cried  out 
to  me. 

"  Yes,  master,  I  thought  I  would,"  I  answered. 

"  How  do  you  think  you'll  get  there  ?  "  demanded 
he. 

"  Don't  know,"  was  all  the  reply  I  made  him. 

"  You'd  be  taken  and  sent  to  jail,  where  you  ought 
to  be,  before  you  got  half-way  there,"  he  added,  pass- 
ing into  the  cabin  as  he  said  it.  He  came  out  soon 
with  the  pass  in  his  hand,  and  calling  me  a  "  d — d  nig- 
ger that  deserved  a  hundred  lashes,"  threw  it  on  the 
ground.  I  picked  it  up,  and  hurried  away  right 
speedily. 

A  slave  caught  off  his  master's  plantation  without 
a  pass,  may  be  seized  and  whipped  by  any  white  man 


158  TWELVE  YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

whom  he  meets.     The  one  I  now  received  was  dated, 
and  read  as  follows  : 

"  Piatt  has  permission  to  go  to  Ford's  plantation, 
on  Bayou  Boeuf,  and  return  by  Tuesday  morning. 

John  M.  Tibeats." 

This  is  the  usual  form.  On  the  way,  a  great  many 
demanded  it,  read  it,  and  passed  on.  Those  having 
the  air  and  appearance  of  gentlemen,  whose  dress 
indicated  the  possession  of  wealth,  frequently  took  no 
notice  of  me  whatever ;  but  a  shabby  fellow,  an  un- 
mistakable loafer,  never  failed  to  hail  me,  and  to 
scrutinize  and  examine  me  in  the  most  thorough  man- 
ner. Catching  runaways  is  sometimes  a  money-mak- 
ing business.  If,  after  advertising,  no  owner  appears, 
they  may  be  sold  to  the  highest  bidder  ;  and  certain 
fees  are  allowed  the  finder  for  his  services,  at  all 
events,  even  if  reclaimed.  "A  mean  white,"  there- 
fore,—  a  name  applied  to  the  species  loafer  —  con- 
siders it  a  god-send  to  meet  an  unknown  negro  with- 
out a  pass. 

There  are  no  inns  along  the  highways  in  that  por- 
tion of  the  State  where  I  sojourned.  I  was  wholly 
destitute  of  money,  neither  did  I  carry  any  provisions, 
on  my  journey  from  the  Big  Cane  to  Bayou  Boenf ; 
nevertheless,  with  his  pass  in  his  hand,  a  slave  need 
never  suffer  from  hunger  or  from  thirst.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  present  it  to  the  master  or  overseer  of  a 
plantation,  and  state  his  wants,  when  he  will  be  sent 
round  to  the  kitchen  and  provided  with  food  or  shel- 
ter, as  the  case  may  require.     The  traveler  stops  at 


TISIT   TO   BAYOU   BCEUF.  159 

any  house  and  calls  for  a  meal  with  as  much  freedom 
as  if  it  was  a  public  tavern.  It  is  the  general  custom 
of  the  country.  Whatever  their  faults  may  be,  it  is 
certain  the  inhabitants  along  Red  River,  and  around 
the  bayous  in  the  interior  of  Louisiana  are  not  want- 
ing in  hospitality.  ■ 

I  arrived  at  Ford's  plantation  towards  the  close  of 
the  afternoon,  passing  the  evening  in  Eliza's  cabin, 
with  Lawson,  Rachel,  and  others  of  my  acquaintance. 
"When  we  left  Washington  Eliza's  form  was  round  and 
plump.  She  stood  erect,  and  in  her  silks  and  jewels, 
presented  a  picture  of  graceful  strength  and  elegance. 
Now  she  was  but  a  thin  shadow  of  her  former  self. 
Her  face  had  become  ghastly  haggard,  and  the  once 
straight  and  active  form  was  bowed  down,  as  if  bear- 
ino-  the  weight  of  a  hundred  years.  Crouching  on  her 
cabin  floor,  and  clad  in  the  coarse  garments  of  a  slave, 
old  Elisha  Berry  would  not  have  recognized  the  moth- 
er of  his  child.  I  never  saw  her  afterwards.  Having 
become  useless  in  the  cotton-field,  she  was  bartered 
for  a  trifle,  to  some  man  residing  in  the  vicinity  of 
Peter  Compton's.  Grief  had  gnawed  remorselessly  at 
her  heart,  until  her  strength  was  gone  ;  and  for  that, 
her  last  master,  it  is  said,  lashed  and  abused  her  most 
unmercifully.  But  he  could  not  whip  back  the  de- 
parted vigor  of  her  youth,  nor  straighten  up  that  bend- 
ed body  to  its  full  height,  such  as  it  was  when  her 
children  were  around  her,  and  the  light  of  freedom 
was  shining  on  her  path. 

I  learned  the  particulars  relative  to  her  departure 


160  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

from  this  world,  from  some  of  Compton's  slaves,  who 
had  come  over  Red  River  to  the  bayou,  to  assist 
young  Madam  Tanner  during  the  "  busy  season." 
She  became  at  length,  they  said,  utterly  helpless,  for 
several  weeks  lying  on  the  ground  floor  in  a  dilapida- 
ted cabin,  dependent  upon  the  mercy  of  her  fellow- 
thralls  for  an  occasional  drop  of  water,  and  a  morsel 
of  food.  Her  master  did  not  "  knock  her  on  the 
head,"  as  is  sometimes  done  to  put  a  suffering  animal 
out  of  misery,  but  left  her  unprovided  for,  and  unpro- 
tected, to  linger  through  a  life  of  pain  and  wretched- 
ness to  its  natural  close.  When  the  hands  returned 
from  the  field  one  night  they  found  her  dead !  Du- 
ring the  day,  the  Angel  of  the  Lord,  who  moveth  in- 
visibly over  all  the  earth,  gathering  in  his  harvest  of 
departing  souls,  had  silently  entered  the  cabin  of  the 
dying  woman,  and  taken  her  from  thence.  She  was 
free  at  last ! 

Next  day,  rolling  up  my  blanket,  I  started  on  my 
return  to  the  Big  Cane.  After  traveling  five  miles, 
at  a  place  called  Huff  Power,  the  ever-present  Tibe- 
ats  met  me  in  the  road.  He  inquired  why  I  was  go- 
ing back  so  soon,  and  when  informed  I  was  anxious 
to  return  by  the  time  I  was  directed,  he  said  I  need 
go  no  farther  than  the  next  plantation,  as  he  had  that 
day  sold  me  to  Edwin  Epps.  We  walked  clown  into 
the  yard,  where  we  met  the  latter  gentleman,  who  ex- 
amined me,  and  asked  me  the  usual  questions  pro- 
pounded by  purchasers.  Having  been  duly  delivered 
over,  I  was  ordered  to  the  quarters,  and  at  the  same 


SALE   TO   EDWIN   EPPS.  161 

time  directed  to  make  a  hoe  and  axe  handle  for  my- 
self. 

I  was  now  no  longer  the  property  of  Tibeats  —  his 
dog,  his  brute,  dreading  his  wrath  and  cruelty  day 
and  night ;  and  whoever  or  whatever  my  new  master 
might  prove  to  be,  I  could  not,  certainly,  regret  the 
change.  So  it  was  good  news  when  the  sale  was  an- 
nounced, and  with  a  sigh  of  relief  I  sat  down  for  the 
first  time  in  my  new  abode. 

Tibeats  soon  after  disappeared  from  that  section  of 

the   country.     Once   afterwards,   and   only   once,   I 

caught  a  glimpse  of  him.     It  was  many  miles  from 

Bayou  Bceuf.     He  was  seated  in  the  doorway  of  a 

low  groggery.     I  was  passing,  in  a  drove  of  slaves, 

through  St.  Mary's  parish. 

ll 


CHAPTER  XII. 


PERSONAL   APPEARANCE    OF    EPPS EPPS,    DRUNK    AND    SOBER A  GLIMPSE 

OF   HIS      HISTORY COTTON    GROWING THE     MODE    OF   PLOUGHING    AND 

PREPARING   GROUND OF  PLANTING OF  HOEING,  OF  PICKING,  OF  TREAT- 
ING   RAW    HANDS THE      DIFFERENCE    IN    COTTON     PICKERS PATSET     A 

REMARKABLE     ONE TASKED      ACCORDING    TO      ABILITY BEAUTY    OF    A 

COTTON    FIELD THE    SLAVE'S  LABORS FEAR   ON  APPROACHING  THE  GIN- 
HOUSE WEIGHING "CHORES" CABIN      LIFE THE       CORN     MILL 

THE    USES    OF    THE    GOURD FEAR   OF  OVERSLEEPING FEAR  CONTINUAL- 
LY  MODE    OF    CULTIVATING    CORN SWEET     POTATOES FERTILITY    OF 

THE   SOIL FATTENING  HOGS PRESERVING  BACON RAISING  CATTLE^ 

SHOOTING-MATCHES GARDEN    PRODUCTS FLOWERS    AND    VERDURE. 


Edwin  Epps,  of  whom  much  will  be  said  during 
the  remainder  of  this  history,  is  a  large,  portly,  heavy- 
bodied  man  with  light  hair,  high  cheek  bones,  and  a 
Roman  nose  of  extraordinary  dimensions.  He  has 
blue  eyes,  a  fair  complexion,  and  is,  as  I  should  say, 
full  six  feet  high.  He  has  the  sharp,  inquisitive  ex- 
pression of  a  jockey.  His  manners  are  repulsive 
and  coarse,  and  his  language  gives  speedy  and  une- 
quivocal evidence  that  he  has  never  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  education.  He  has  the  faculty  of 
saying  most  provoking  things,  in  that  respect  even 
excelling  old  Peter  Tanner.  At  the  time  I  came  into 
his  possession,  Edwin  Epps  was  fond  of  the  bottle,  his 


HABITS   OF    EDWIN    EPPS.  163 

"  sprees''  sometimes  extending  over  the  space  of  two 
"whole  weeks.  Latterly,  however,  he  had  reformed 
his  habits,  and  when  I  left  him,  was  as  strict  a  speci- 
men of  temperance  as  could  be  found  on  Bayou 
Bceuf.  AVlien  "  in  his  cups,"  Master  Epps  was  a  roys- 
tering,  blustering,  noisy  fellow,  whose  chief  delight 
was  in  dancing  with  his  "  niggers,"  or  lashing  them 
about  the  yard  with  his  long  whip,  just  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  hearing  them  screech  and  scream,  as  the  great 
welts  were  planted  on  their  backs.  When  sober,  he 
was  silent,  reserved  and  cunning,  not  beating  us  in- 
discriminately, as  in  his  drunken  moments,  but  send- 
ing the  end  of  his  rawhide  to  some  tender  spot  of  a 
lagging  slave,  with  a  sly  dexterity  peculiar  to  himself. 

He  had  been  a  driver  and  overseer  in  his  younger 
years,  but  at  this  time  was  in  possession  of  a  planta- 
tion on  Bayou  Huff  Power,  two  and  a  half  miles  from 
Holmesville,  eighteen  from  Marksville,  and  twelve 
from  Cheneyville.  It  belonged  to  Joseph  B.  Koberts, 
his  wife's  uncle,  and  was  leased  by  Epps.  His  prin- 
cipal business  was  raising  cotton,  and  inasmuch  as 
some  may  read  this  book  who  have  never  seen  a  cot- 
ton field,  a  description  of  the  manner  of  its  culture 
may  not  be  out  of  place. 

The  ground  is  prepared  by  throwing  up  beds  or 
ridges,  with  the  plough  —  back-furrowing,  it  is  called. 
Oxen  and  mules,  the  latter  almost  exclusively,  are 
used  in  ploughing.  The  women  as  frequently  as  the 
men  perform  this  Jabor,  feeding,  currying,  and  ta- 
king care  of  their  teams,  and  in  all  respects  doing  the 


164  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

field  and  stable  work,  precisely  as  do  the  ploughboys 
of  the  North. 

The  beds,  or  ridges,  are  six  feet  wide,  that  is,  from 
water  furrow  to  water  furrow.  A  plough  drawn  by 
one  mule  is  then  run  along  the  top  of  the  ridge  or 
center  of  the  bed,  making  the  drill,  into  which  a  girl 
usually  drops  the  seed,  which  she  carries  in  a  bag 
huug  round  her  neck.  Behind  her  comes  a  mule 
and  harrow,  covering  up  the  seed,  so  that  two  mules, 
three  slaves,  a  plough  and  harrow,  are  employed 
in  planting  a  row  of  cotton.  This  is  done  in  the 
months  of  March  and  April.  Corn  is  planted  in  Feb- 
ruary. When  there  are  no  cold  rains,  the  cotton  usu- 
ally makes  its  appearance  in  a  week.  In  the  course 
of  eight  or  ten  days  afterwards  the  first  hoeing  is 
commenced.  This  is  performed  in  part,  also,  by  the 
aid  of  the  plough  and  mule.  The  plough  passes  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  cotton  on  both  sides,  throw- 
ing the  furrow  from  it.  Slaves  follow  with  their  hoes, 
cutting  up  the  grass  and  cotton,  leaving  hills  two  feet 
and  a  half  apart.  This  is  called  scraping  cotton.  In 
two  weeks  more  commences  the  second  hoeing. 
This  time  the  furrow  is  thrown  towards  the  cotton. 
Only  one  stalk,  the  largest,  is  now  left  standing  in 
each  hill.  In  another  fortnight  it  is  hoed  the  third 
time,  throwing  the  furrow  towards  the  cotton  in  the 
same  manner  as  before,  and  killing  all  the  grass  be- 
tween the  rows.  About  the  first  of  July,  when  it  is 
a  foot  high  or  thereabouts,  it  is  hoed  the  fourth  and 
last  time.     JSTow  the  whole  space  between  the  rows 


COTTON   GROWING.  1G5 

is  ploughed,  leaving  a  deep  water  furrow  in  the  center. 
During  all  these  hoeings  the  overseer  or  driver 
follows  the  slaves  on  horseback  with  a  whip,  such  as 
has  been  described.  The  fastest  hoer  takes  the  lead 
row.  He  is  usually  about  a  rod  in  advance  of  his 
companions.  If  one  of  them  passes  him,  he  is  whip- 
ped. If  one  falls  behind  or  is  a  moment  idle,  he  is 
whipped.  In  fact,  the  lash  is  flying  from  morning 
until  night,  the  whole  day  long.  The  hoeing  season 
thus  continues  from  April  until  July,  a  held  having 
no  sooner  been  finished  once,  than  it  is  commenced 
again. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August  begins  the  cotton  pick- 
ing season.  At  this  time  each  slave  is  presented 
with  a  sack.  A  strap  is  fastened  to  it,  which  goes 
over  the  neck,  holding  the  mouth  of  the  sack  breast 
high,  while  the  bottom  reaches  nearly  to  the  ground. 
Each  one  is  also  presented  with  a  large  basket  that 
will  hold  about  two  barrels.  This  is  to  put  the  cotton 
in  when  the  sack  is  filled.  The  baskets  are  carried 
to  the  field  and  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  rows. 

When  a  new  hand,  one  unaccustomed  to  the  busi- 
ness, is  sent  for  the  first  time  into  the  field,  he  is 
whipped  up  smartly,  and  made  for  that  day  to  pick 
as  fast  as  he  can  possibly.  At  night  it  is  weighed, 
so  that  his  capability  in  cotton  picking  is  known. 
He  must  bring  in  the  same  weight  each  night  follow- 
ing. If  it  falls  short,  it  is  considered  evidence  that 
he  has  been  laggard,  and  a  greater  or  less  number 
of  lashes  is  the  penalty. 


166  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

An  ordinary  day's  work  is  two  hundred  pounds. 
A  slave  who  is  accustomed  to  picking,  is  punished, 
if  he  or  she  brings  in  a  less  quantity  than  that. 
There  is  a  great  difference  among  them  as  regards 
this  kind  of  labor.  Some  of  them  seem  to  have  a 
natural  knack,  or  quickness,  which  enables  them  to 
pick  with  great  celerity,  and  with  both  hands,  while 
others,  with  whatever  practice  or  industry,  are  utterly 
unable  to  come  up  to  the  ordinary  standard.  Such 
hands  are  taken  from  the  cotton  field  and  employed 
in  other  business.  Patsey,  of  whom  I  shall  have 
more  to  say,  was  known  as  the  most  remarkable  cot- 
ton picker  on  Bayou  Boeuf.  She  picked  with  both 
hands  and  with  such  surprising  rapidity,  that  five 
hundred  pounds  a  day  was  not  unusual  for  her. 

Each  one  is  tasked,  therefore,  according  to  his 
picking  abilities,  none,  however,  to  come  short  of  two 
hundred  weight.  I,  being  unskillful  always  in  that 
business,  would  have  satisfied  my  master  by  bringing 
in  the  latter  quantity,  while  on  the  other  hand,  Pat- 
sey would  surely  have  been  beaten  if  she  failed  to 
produce  twice  as  much. 

The  cotton  grows  from  five  to  seven  feet  high,  each 
stalk  having  a  great  many  branches,  shooting  out  in 
all  directions,  and  lapping  each  other  above  the  wa- 
ter furrow. 

There  are  few  sights  more  pleasant  to  the  eye, 
than  a  wide  cotton  field  when  it  is  in  the  bloom.  It 
presents  an  appearance  of  purity,  like  an  immaculate 
expanse  of  light,  new-fallen  snow. 


COTTON   PICKING.  167 

Sometimes  the  slave  picks  down  one  side  of  a  row, 
and  back  upon  the  other,  but  more  usually,  there  is 
one  on  either  side,  gathering  all  that  has  blossomed, 
leaving  the  unopened  bolls  for  a  succeeding  picking. 
"When  the  sack  is  filled,  it  is  emptied  into  the  basket  and 
trodden  down.  It  is  necessary  to  be  extremely  care- 
ful the  first  time  going  through  the  field,  in  order  not 
to  break  the  branches  off  the  stalks.  The  cotton 
will  not  bloom  upon  a  broken  branch.  Epps  never 
failed  to  inflict  the  severest  chastisement  on  the  un- 
lucky servant  who,  either  carelessly  or  unavoidably, 
was  guilty  in  the  least  degree  in  this  respect. 

The  hands  are  required  to  be  in  the  cotton  field  as 
soon  as  it  is  light  in  the  morning,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  which  is  given  them 
at  noon  to  swallow  their  allowance  of  cold  bacon, 
they  are  not  permitted  to  be  a  moment  idle  until  it 
is  too  dark  to  see,  and  when  the  moon  is  full,  they 
often  times  labor  till  the  middle  of  the  night.  They 
do  not  dare  to  stop  even  at  dinner  time,  nor  return 
to  the  quarters,  however  late  it  be,  until  the  order  to 
halt  is  given  by  the  driver. 

The  clay's  work  over  in  the  field,  the  baskets  are 
"  toted,"  or  in  other  words,  carried  to  the  gin-house, 
where  the  cotton  is  weighed.  No  matter  how  fa- 
tigued and  weary  he  may  be  —  no  matter  how  much 
he  longs  for  sleep  and  rest —  a  slave  never  approaches 
the  gin-house  with  his  basket  of  cotton  but  with  fear. 
If  it  falls  short  in  weight  —  if  he  has  not  performed 
the  full  task  appointed  him,  he  knows  that  he  must 


1G8  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLATE. 

suffer.  And  if  he  lias  exceeded  it  by  ten  or  twenty 
pounds,  in  all  probability  his  master  will  measure  the 
next  day's  task  accordingly.  So,  whether  he  has  too 
little  or  too  much,  his  approach  to  the  gin-house  is 
always  with  fear  and  trembling.  Most  frequently 
they  have  too  little,  and  therefore  it  is  they  are  not 
anxious  to  leave  the  held.  After  weighing,  follow  the 
whippings ;  and  then  the  baskets  are  carried  to  the 
cotton  house,  and  their  contents  stored  away  like  hay, 
all  hands  being  sent  in  to  tramp  it  down.  If  the  cot- 
ton is  not  dry,  instead  of  taking  it  to  the  gin-house 
at  once,  it  is  laid  upon  platforms,  two  feet  high,  and 
some  three  times  as  wide,  covered  with  boards  or 
plank,  with  narrow  walks  running  between  them. 

This  done,  the  labor  of  the  day  is  not  yet  ended,  by 
any  means.  Each  one  must  then  attend  to  his  re- 
spective chores.  One  feeds  the  mules,  another  the 
swine  —  another  cuts  the  wood,  and  so  forth  ;  besides, 
the  packing  is  all  done  by  candle  light.  Finally,  at 
a  late  hour,  they  reach  the  quarters,  sleepy  and  over- 
come with  the  long  day's  toil.  Then  a  fire  must  be 
kindled  in  the  cabin,  the  corn  ground  in  the  small 
hand-mill,  and  supper,  and  dinner  for  the  next  day  in 
the  field,  prepared.  All  that  is  allowed  them  is  corn 
and  bacon,  which  is  given  out  at  the  corncrib  and 
smoke-house  every  Sunday  morning.  Each  one  re- 
ceives, as  his  weekly,  allowance,  three  and  a  half 
pounds  of  bacon,  and  corn  enough  to  make  a  peck  of 
meal.  That  is  all  —  no  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  and  with 
the  exception  of  a  very  scanty  sprinkling  now  and 


CABEST  LIFE.  169 

then,  no  salt.  I  can  say,  from  a  ten  years'  residence 
with  Master  Epps,  that  no  slave  of  his  is  ever  likely 
to  suffer  from  the  gout,  superinduced  by  excessive 
high  living.  Master  Epps'  hogs  were  fed  on  shelled 
corn  —  it  was  thrown  out  to  his  "niggers"  in  the 
ear.  The  former,  he  thought,  would  fatten  faster  by 
shelling,  and  soaking  it  in  the  water — -the  latter, 
perhaps,  if  treated  in  the  same  manner,  might  grow 
too  fat  to  labor.  Master  Epps  was  a  shrewd  cal- 
culator, and  knew  how  to  manage  his  own  animals, 
drunk  or  sober. 

The  corn  mill  stands  in  the  yard  beneath  a  shelter. 
It  is  like  a  common  coffee  mill,  the  hopper  holding 
about  six  quarts.  There  was  one  privilege  which 
Master  Epps  granted  freely  to  every  slave  he  had. 
They  might  grind  their  corn  nightly,  in  such  small 
quantities  as  their  daily  wants  required,  or  they 
might  grind  the  whole  week's  allowance  at  one  time, 
on  Sundays,  just  as  they  preferred.  A  very  gener- 
ous man  was  Master  Epps  ! 

I  kept  my  corn  in  a  small  wooden  box,  the  meal  in 
a  gourd ;  and,  by  the  way,  the  gourd  is  one  of  the ' 
most  convenient  and  necessary  utensils  on  a  planta- 
tion. Besides  supplying  the  place  of  all  kinds  of 
crockery  in  a  slave  cabin,  it  is  used  for  carrying 
water  to  the  fields.  Another,  also,  contains  the  din- 
ner. It  dispenses  with  the  necessity  of  pails,  dippers, 
basins,  and  such  tin  and  wooden  superfluities  alto- 
gether. 

When  the  corn  is  ground,  and  fire  is  made,  the 
H 


170  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

bacon  is  taken  down  from  the  nail  on  which  it  hangs, 
a  slice  cut  off  and  thrown  npon  the  coals  to  broil. 
The  majority  of  slaves  have  no  knife,  much  less  a 
fork.  They  cut  their  bacon  with  the  axe  at  the  wood- 
pile. The  corn  meal  is  mixed  with  a  little  water, 
placed  in  the  fire,  and  baked.  When  it  is  "done 
brown,"  the  ashes  are  scraped  off,  and  being  placed 
upon  a  chip,  which  answers  for  a  table,  the  tenant  of 
the  slave  hut  is  ready  to  sit  down  upon  the  ground  to 
supper.  By  this  time  it  is  usually  midnight.  The 
same  fear  of  punishment  with  which  they  approach 
the  gin-house,  possesses  them  again  on  lying  down  to 
get  a  snatch  of  rest.  It  is  the  fear  of  oversleeping  in 
the  morning.  Such  an  offence  would  certainly  be 
attended  with  not  less  than  twenty  lashes.  With  a 
prayer  that  he  may  be  on  his  feet  and  wide  awake  at 
the  first  sound  of  the  horn,  he  sinks  to  his  slumbers 
nightly. 

The  softest  couches  in  the  world  are  not  to  be  found 
in  the  log  mansion  of  the  slave.  The  one  whereon  I 
reclined  year  after  year,  was  a  plank  twelve  inches 
wide  and  ten  feet  long.  My  pillow  was  a  stick  of 
wood.  The  Oedding  was  a  coarse  blanket,  and  not  a 
rag  or  shred  beside.  Moss  might  be  used,  were  it  not 
that  it  directly  breeds  a  swarm  of  fleas. 

The  cabin  is  constructed  of  logs,  without  floor  or 
window.  The  latter  is  altogether  unnecessary,  the 
crevices  between  the  logs  admitting  sufficient  light. 
In  stormy  weather  the  rain  drives  through  them, 
rendering  it  comfortless  and  extremely  disagreeable. 


THE  SLAVE'S  LAB0KS.  171 

The  rude  door  hangs  on  great  wooden  hinges.  In  one 
end  is  constructed  an  awkward  fire-place. 

An  hour  before  day  light  the  horn  is  blown.  Then 
the  slaves  arouse,  prepare  their  breakfast,  fill  a  gourd 
with  water,  in  another  deposit  their  dinner  of  cold 
bacon  and  corn  cake,  and  hurry  to  the  field  again. 
It  is  an  offence  invariably  followed  by  a  flogging,  to 
be  found  at  the  quarters  after  daybreak.  Then  the 
fears  and  labors  of  another  day  begin ;  and  until  its 
close  there  is  no  such  thing  as  rest.  He  fears  he  will 
be  caught  lagging  through  the  day ;  he  fears  to 
approach  the  gin-house  with  his  basket-load  of  cotton 
at  night ;  he  fears,  when  he  lies  down,  that  he  will 
oversleep  himself  in  the  morning.  Such  is  a  true, 
faithful,  unexaggerated  picture  and  description  of 
the  slave's  daily  life,  during  the  time  of  cotton-pick- 
ing, on  the  shores  of  Bayou  Boeuf. 

In  the  month  of  January,  generally,  the  fourth  and 
last  picking  is  completed.  Then  commences  the  har- 
vesting of  corn.  This  is  considered  a  secondary  crop, 
and  receives  far  less  attention  than  the  cotton.  It  is 
planted,  as  already  mentioned,  in  February.  Corn  is 
grown  in  that  region  for  the  purj30se  of  fattening 
hogs  and  feeding  slaves  ;  very  little,  if  any,  being  sent 
to  market.  It  is  the  white  variety,  the  ear  of  great 
size,  and  the  stalk  growing  to  the  height  of  eight, 
and  often  times  ten  feet.  In  August  the  leaves  are 
■stripped  off,  dried  in  the  sun,  bound  in  small  bundles, 
and  stored  away  as  provender  for  the  mules  and  oxen. 
After  this  the  slaves  go  through  the  field,  turning 


172  TWELVE    YEAES    A    SLAVE. 

down  the  ear,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  rains 
from  penetrating  to  the  grain.  It  is  left  in  this  condi- 
tion until  after  cotton-picking  is  over,  whether  earlier 
or  later.  Then  the  ears  are  separated  from  the  stalks, 
and  deposited  in  the  corncrib  with  the  husks  on; 
otherwise,  stripped  of  the  husks,  the  weevil  would 
destroy  it.     The  stalks  are  left  standing  in  the  field. 

The  Carolina,  or  sweet  potato,  is  also  grown  in  that 
region  to  some  extent.  They  are  not  fed,  however, 
to  hogs  or  cattle,  and  are  considered  but  of  small  im- 
portance. They  are  preserved  by  placing  them  upon 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  with  a  slight  covering  of 
earth  or  cornstalks.  There  is  not  a  cellar  on  Bayou 
Bceuf.  The  ground  is  so  low  it  would  fill  with  water. 
Potatoes  are  worth  from  two  to  three  "bits,"  or 
shillings  a  barrel ;  corn,  except  when  there  is  an 
unusual  scarcity,  can  be  purchased  at  the  same  rate. 

As  soon  as  the  cotton  and  corn  crops  are  secured, 
the  stalks  are  pulled  up,  thrown  into  piles  and  burned. 
The  ploughs  are  started  at  the  same  time,  throwing 
up  the  beds  again,  preparatory  to  another  planting. 
The  soil,  in  the  parishes  of  Rapides  and  Avoyelles, 
and  throughout  the  whole  country,  so  far  as  my. obser- 
vation extended,  is  of  exceeding  richness  and  fertility. 
It  is  a  kind  of  marl,  of  a  brown  or  reddish  color.  It 
does  not  require  those  invigorating  composts  neces- 
sary to  more  barren  lands,  and  on  the  same  field  the 
same  crop  is  grown  for  many  successive  years. 

Ploughing,  planting,  picking  cotton,  gathering  the 
corn,  and  pulling  and  burning   stalks,  occupies  the 


PRESERVING-  BACON.  173 

whole  of  the  four  seasons  of  the  year.  Drawing  and 
cutting  wood,  pressing  cotton,  fattening  and  killing 
hogs,  are  but  incidental  labors. 

In  the  month  of  September  or  October,  the  hogs 
are  run  out  of  the  swamps  by  dogs,  and  confined  in 
pens.  On  a  cold  morning,  generally  about  New 
Tear's  day,  they  are  slaughtered.  Each  carcass  is 
cut  into  six  parts,  and  piled  one  above  the  other  in 
salt,  upon  large  tables  in  the  smoke-house.  In  this 
condition  it  remains  a  fortnight,  when  it  is  hung  up, 
and  a  fire  built,  and  continued  more  than  half  the 
time  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  This  thorough 
smoking  is  necessary  to  prevent  the  bacon  from  be- 
coming infested  with  worms.  In  so  warm  a  climate 
it  is  difficult  to  preserve  it,  and  very  many  times  my- 
self and  my  companions  have  received  our  weekly 
allowance  of  three  pounds  and  a  half,  when  it  was 
full  of  these  disgusting  vermin. 

Although  the  swamps  are  overrun  with  cattle,  they 
are  never  made  the  source  of  profit,  to  any  considera- 
ble extent.  The  planter  cuts  his  mark  upon  the  ear, 
or  brands  his  initials  upon  the  side,  and  turns  them 
into  the  swamps,  to  roam  unrestricted  within  their 
almost  limitless  confines.  They  are  the  Spanish  breed, 
small  and  spike-horned.  I  have  known  of  droves 
being  taken  from  Bayou  Boeuf,  but  it  is  of  very  rare 
occurrence.  The  value  of  the  best  cows  is  about  five 
dollars  each.  Two  quarts  at  one  milking,  would  be 
considered  an  unusual  large  quantity.  They  furnish 
little  tallow,  and  that  of  a  soft,  inferior  quality.     Not- 


174  TWELVE   YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

withstanding  the  great  number  of  cows  that  throng 
the  swamps,  the  planters  are  indebted  to  the  North 
for  their  cheese  and  butter,  which  is  purchased  in  the 
!New-Orleans  market.  Salted  beef  is  not  an  article  of 
food  either  in  the  great  house,  or  in  the  cabin. 

Master  Epps  was  accustomed  to  attend  shooting 
matches  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  what  fresh  beef 
he  required.  These  sports  occurred  weekly  at  the 
neighboring1  village  of  Holmesville.  Fat  beeves  are 
driven  thither  and  shot  at,  a  stipulated  price  being 
demanded  for  the  privilege.  The  lucky  marksman 
divides  the  flesh  among  his  fellows,  and  in  this  man- 
ner the  attending  planters  are  supplied. 

The  great  number  of  tame  and  untamed  cattle 
which  swarm  the  woods  and  swamps  of  Bayou  Bceuf, 
most  probably  suggested  that  appellation  to  the 
French,  inasmuch  as  the  term,  translated,  signifies  the 
creek  or  river  of  the  wild  ox. 

Garden  products,  such  as  cabbages,  turnips  and  the 
like,  are  cultivated  for  the  use  of  the  master  and  his 
family.  They  have  greens  and  vegetables  at  all  times 
and  seasons  of  the  year.  "  The  grass  withereth  and 
the  flower  fadeth"  before  the  desolating  winds  of  au- 
tumn in  the  chill  northern  latitudes,  but  perpetual 
verdure  overspreads  the  hot  lowlands,  and  flowers 
bloom  in  the  heart  of  winter,  in  the  region  of  Bayou 
Bceuf. 

There  are  no  meadows  appropriated  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  grasses.  The  leaves  of  the  corn  supply  a 
sufficiency  of  food  for  the  laboring  cattle,  while  the 


LIFE   AT   THE    SOUTH.  175 

rest  provide  for  themselves  all  the  year  in  the  ever- 
growing pasture. 

There  are  many  other  peculiarities  of  climate, 
habit,  custom,  and  of  the  manner  of  living  and  labor- 
ing at  the  South,  but  the  foregoing,  it  is  supposed, 
will  give  the  reader  an  insight  and  general  idea  of 
life  on  a  cotton  plantation  in  Louisiana.  The  mode 
of  cultivating  cane,  and  the  process  of  sugar  manu- 
facturing, will  be  mentioned  in  another  place. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  CURIOUS  AXE-HELVE SYMPTOMS  OF  APPROACHING  ILLNESS  —  CONTINUE 

TO  DECLINE THE  "WHIP  INEFFECTUAL CONFINED  TO  THE  CABIN VISIT 

BY    DR.    WINES PARTIAL    RECOVERY FAILURE   AT    COTTON    PICKING 

"WHAT  MAY  BE  HEARD  ON  EPPs'  PLANTATION LASHES  GRADUATED EPPS 

IN  A  "WHIPPING  MOOD EPPS  IN  A  DANCING  MOOD DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 

DANCE LOSS  OF  REST  NO  EXCUSE EPPs' CHARACTERISTICS JIM  BURNS 

REMOVAL  FROM  HUFF    POWER  TO    BAYOU   BCEUF DESCRIPTION   OF   UNCLE 

ABRAM  ;    OF  WILEY  ;    OF  AUNT  PHEBE ;    OF  BOB,  HENRY,  AND  EDWARD ;    OF 

PATSEYJ    WITH  A  GENEALOGICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  EACH SOMETHING  OF  THEIR 

PAST  HISTORY,  AND    PECULIAR  CHARACTERISTICS JEALOUSY  AND  LUST 

PATSEY,  THE  VICTIM. 

On  my  arrival  at  Master  Epps',  in  obedience  to  his 
order,  the  first  business  upon  which  I  entered  was  the 
making  of  an  axe-helve.  The  handles  in  use  there 
are  simply  a  round,  straight  stick.  I  made  a  crooked 
one,  shaped  like  those  to  which  I  had  been  accustom- 
ed at  the  North.  When  finished,  and  presented  to 
Epps,  he  looked  at  it  with  astonishment,  unable  to 
determine  exactly  what  it  was.  He  had  never  before 
seen  such  a  handle,  and  when  I  explained  its  conveni- 
ences, he  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  novelty  of  the 
idea.  He  kept  it  in  the  house  a  long  time,  and  when  his 
friends  called,  was  wont  to  exhibit  it  as  a  curiosity. 

It  was  now  the  season  of  hoeing.     I  was  first  sent 


APPKOACHENG   ILLNESS.  177 

into  the  corn-field,  and  afterwards  set  to  scraping  cot- 
ton. In  this  employment  I  remained  until  hoeing 
time  was  nearly  passed,  when  I  began  to  experience 
the  symptoms  of  approaching  illness.  I  was  attacked 
with  chills,  which  were  succeeded  by  a  burning  fever; 
I  became  weak  and  emaciated,  and  frecpiently  so  diz- 
zy that  it  caused  me  to  reel  and  stagger  like  a  drunk- 
en man.  Nevertheless,  I  was  compelled  to  keep  up 
my  row.  "When  in  health  I  found  little  difficulty  in 
keeping  pace  with  my  fellow-laborers,  but  now  it 
seemed  to  be  an  utter  impossibility.  Often  I  fell  be- 
hind, when  the  driver's  lash  was  sure  to  greet  my 
back,  infusing  into  my  sick  and  drooping  body  a  little 
temporary  energy.  I  continued  to  decline  until  at 
length  the  whip  became  entirely  ineffectual.  The 
sharpest  sting  of  the  rawhide  could  not  arouse  me. 
Finally,  in  September,  when  the  busy  season  of  cotton 
picking  was  at  hand,  I  was  unable  to  leave  my  cabin. 
Up  to  this  time  I  had  received  no  medicine,  nor  any 
attention  from  my  master  or  mistress.  The  old  cook 
visited  me  occasionally,  preparing  me  corn-coffee,  and 
sometimes  boiling  a  bit  of  bacon,  when  I  had  grown 
too  feeble  to  accomplish  it  myself. 

When  it  was  said  that  I  would  die,  Master  Epps, 
unwilling  to  bear  the  loss,  which  the  death  of  an  ani- 
mal worth  a  thousand  dollars  would  bring  upon  him, 
concluded  to  incur  the  expense  of  sending  to  Holmes- 
ville  for  Dr.  "Wines.  He  announced  to  Epps  that  it 
was  the  effect  of  the  climate,  and  there  was  a  proba- 
bility of  his  losing  me.  He  directed  me  to  eat  no 
H*  12 


178  TWELVE   YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

meat,  and  to  partake  of  no  more  food  than  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  sustain  life.  Several  weeks  elaps- 
ed, during  which  time,  under  the  scanty  diet  to  which 
I  was  subjected,  I  had  partially  recovered.  One 
morning,  long  before  I  was  in  a  proper  condition  to 
labor,  Epps  appeared  at  the  cabin  door,  and,  present- 
ing me  a  sack,  ordered  me  to  the  cotton  field.  At  this 
time  I  had  had  no  experience  whatever  in  cotton  pick- 
ing. It  was  an  awkward  business  indeed.  While 
others  used  both  hands,  snatching  the  cotton  and  de- 
positing it  in  the  mouth  of  the  sack,  with  a  precision 
and  dexterity  that  was  incomprehensible  to  me,  I 
had  to  seize  the  boll  with  one  hand,  and  deliberately 
draw  out  the  white,  gushing  blossom  with  the  other. 
Depositing  the  cotton  in  the  sack,  moreover,  was  a 
difficulty  that  demanded  the  exercise  of  both  hands 
and  eyes.  I  was  compelled  to  pick  it  from  the  ground 
where  it  would  fall,  nearly  as  often  as  from  the  stalk 
where  it  had  grown.  I  made  havoc  also  with  the 
branches,  loaded  with  the  yet  unbroken  bolls,  the 
long,  cumbersome  sack  swinging  from  side  to  side  in 
a  manner  not  allowable  in  the  cotton  field.  After  a 
most  laborious  day  I  arrived  at  the  gin-house  with  my 
I  load.  When  the  scale  determined  its  weight  to  be 
only  ninety -five  pounds,  not  half  the  quantity  required 
of  the  poorest  picker,  Epps  threatened  the  severest 
flogging,  but  in  consideration  of  my  being  a  "  raw 
hand,"  concluded  to  pardon  me  on  that  occasion. 
The  following  day,  and  many  days  succeeding,  I  re- 
turned at  nisdit  with  no  better  success  —  I  was  evi- 


LASHES   GRADUATED.  179 

dently  not  designed  for  that  kind  of  labor.  I  had  not 
the  gift  —  the  dexterous  fingers  and  quick  motion  of 
Patsey,  who  could  fly  along  one  side  of  a  row  of  cot- 
ton, stripping  it  of  its  underlie d  and  fleecy  whiteness 
miraculously  fast.  Practice  and  whipping  were  alike 
unavailing,  and  Epps,  satisfied  of  it  at  last,  swore  I  was 
a  disgrace  —  that  I  was  not  fit  to  associate  with  a  cot- 
ton-picking "nigger"  —  that  I  could  not  pick  enough 
in  a  day  to  pay  the  trouble  of  weighing  it,  and  that  I 
should  go  into  the  cotton  field  no  more.  I  was  now 
employed  in  cutting  and  hauling  wood,  drawing  cot- 
ton from  the  field  to  the  gin-house,  and  performed 
whatever  other  service  was  required.  Suffice  to  say, 
I  was  never  permitted  to  be  idle. 

It  was  rarely  that  a  day  passed  by  without  one  or 
more  whippings.  This  occurred  at  the  time  the  cot- 
ton was  weighed.  The  delinquent,  whose  weight  had 
fallen  short,  was  taken  out,  stripped,  made  to  lie  upon 
the  ground,  face  downwards,  when  he  received  a  pun- 
ishment proportioned  to  his  offence.  It  is  the  literal, 
unvarnished  truth,  that  the  crack  of  the  lash,  and 
the  shrieking  of  the  slaves,  can  be  heard  from  dark 
till  bed  time,  on  Epps'  plantation,  any  day  almost 
during  the  entire  period  of  the  cotton-picking  season. 

The  number  of  lashes  is  graduated  according  to  the 
nature  of  the  case.  Twenty-five  are  deemed  a  mere 
brush,  inflicted,  for  instance,  when  a  dry  leaf  or  piece 
of  boll  is  found  in  the  cotton,  or  when  a  branch  is 
broken  in  the  field  ;  fifty  is  the  ordinary  penalty  fol- 
lowing all  delinquencies  of  the  next  higher  grade ;  one 


180  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

hundred  is  called  severe :  it  is  the  punishment  inflict- 
ed for  the  serious  offence  of  standing  idle  in  the  field  ; 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  is  bestow- 
ed upon  him  who  quarrels  with  his  cabin-mates,  and 
five  hundred,  well  laid  on,  besides  the  mangling  of 
the  dogs,  perhaps,  is  certain  to  consign  the  poor,  un- 
pitied  runaway  to  weeks  of  pain  and  agony. 

During  the  two  years  Epps  remained  on  the  plan- 
tation at  Bayou  Huff  Power,  he  was  in  the  habit,  as 
often  as  once  in  a  fortnight  at  least,  of  coming  home 
intoxicated  from  Holmesville.  The  shooting-matches 
almost  invariably  concluded  with  a  debauch.  At  such 
times  he  was  boisterous  and  half-crazy.  Often  he 
would  break  the  dishes,  chairs,  and  whatever  furni- 
ture he  could  lay  his  hands  on.  "When  satisfied  with 
his  amusement  in  the  house,  he  would  seize  the  whip 
and  walk  forth  into  the  yard.  Then  it  behooved  the 
slaves  to  be  watchful  and  exceeding  wary.  The  first 
one  who  came  within  reach  felt  the  smart  of  his  lash. 
Sometimes  for  hours  he  would  keep  them  running  in 
all  directions,  dodging  around  the  corners  of  the  cab- 
ins. Occasionally  he  would  come  upon  one  unawares, 
and  if  he  succeeded  in  inflicting  a  fair,  round  blow,  it 
was  a  feat  that  much  delighted  him.  The  younger 
children,  and  the  aged,  who  had  become  inactive, 
suffered  then.  In  the  midst  of  the  confusion  he  would 
slily  take  his  stand  behind  a  cabin,  waiting  with  rais- 
ed whip,  to  dash  it  into  the  first  black  face  that  peep- 
ed cautiously  around  the  corner. 

At  other  times  he  would  come  home  in  a  less  brutal 


EPPS   IN   A   DANCING  MOOD.  181 

humor.  Then  there  must  be  a  merry-making.  Then 
all  must  move  to  the  measure  of  a  tune.  Then  Mas- 
ter Epps  must  needs  regale  his  melodious  ears  with 
the  music  of  a  fiddle.  Then  did  he  become  buoyant, 
elastic,  gaily  "  tripping  the  light  fantastic  toe"  around 
the  piazza  and  all  through  the  house. 

Tibeats,  at  the  time  of  my  sale,  had  informed 
him  I  could  play  on  the  violin.  He  had  receiv- 
ed his  information  from  Ford.  Through  the  im- 
portunities of  Mistress  Epps,  her  husband  had  been  in- 
duced to  purchase  me  one  during  a  visit  to  New-Or- 
leans. Frequently  I  was  called  into  the  house  to  play 
before  the  family,  mistress  being  passionately  fond  of 
music. 

All  of  us  would  be  assembled  in  the  large  room  of 
the  great  house,  whenever  Epps  came  home  in  one  of 
his  dancing  moods.  No  matter  how  worn  out  and 
tired  we  were,  there  must  be  a  general  dance.  When 
properly  stationed  on  the  floor,  I  would  strike  up  a  tune. 

"Dance,  you  d — d  niggers,  dance,"  Epps  would 
shout. 

Then  there  must  be  no  halting  or  delay,  no  slow  or 
languid  movements ;  all  must  be  brisk,  and  lively, 
and  alert.  "  Up  and  down,  heel  and  toe,  and  away 
we  go,"  was  the  order  of  the  hour.  Epps'  portly  form 
mingled  with  those  of  his  dusky  slaves,  moving  rap- 
idly through  all  the  mazes  of  the  dance. 

Usually  his  whip  was  in  his  hand,  ready  to  fall 
about  the  ears  of  the  presumptuous  thrall,  who  dared 
to  rest  a  moment,  or  even  stop  to  catch  his  breath. 


182  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

When  lie  was  himself  exhausted,  there  would  be  a 
brief  cessation,  but  it  would  be  very  brief.  With  a 
slash,  and  crack,  and  flourish  of  the  whip,  he  would 
shout  again,  "  Dance,  niggers,  dance,"  and  away  they 
wrould  go  once  more,  pell-mell,  while  I.  spurred  by  an 
occasional  sharp  touch  of  the  lash,  sat  in  a  corner,  ex- 
tracting from  my  violin  a  marvelous  quick-stepping 
tune.  The  mistress  often  upbraided  him,  declaring 
she  would  return  to  her  father's  house  at  Cheney  ville  ; 
nevertheless,  there  were  times  she  could  not  restrain 
a  burst  of  laughter,  on  witnessing  his  uproarious 
pranks.  Frequently,  we  were  thus  detained  until  al- 
most morning.  Bent  with  excessive  toil  —  actually 
suffering  for  a  little  refreshing  rest,  and  feeling  rather 
as  if  we  could  cast  ourselves  upon  the  earth  and  weep, 
many  a  night  in  the  house  of  Edwin  Epps  have  his 
unhappy  slaves  been  made  to  dance  and  laugh. 

Notwithstanding  these  deprivations  in  order  to  grat- 
ify the  whim  of  an  unreasonable  master,  we  had  to 
be  in  the  field  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  and  during  the 
day  perform  the  ordinary  and  accustomed  task.  Such 
deprivations  could  not  be  urged  at  the  scales  in  exten- 
uation of  any  lack  of  weight,  or  in  the  cornfield  for 
not  hoeing  with  the  usual  rapidity.  The  whippings 
were  just  as  severe  as  if  we  had  gone  forth  in  the 
morning,  strengthened  and  invigorated  by  a  night's 
repose.  Indeed,  after  such  frantic  revels,  he  was 
always  more  sour  and  savage  than  before,  punishing 
for  slighter  causes,  and  using  the  whip  with  increased 
and  more  vindictive  energy. 


CHARACTER   OF  EPrS.  183 

Ten  years  I  toiled  for  that  man  without  reward. 
Ten  years  of  my  incessant  labor  has  contributed  to 
increase  the  bulk  of  his  possessions.  Ten  years  I  was 
compelled  to  address  him  with  down-cast  eyes  and 
uncovered  head  —  in  the  attitude  and  language  of  a 
slave.  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  nothing,  save  unde- 
served abuse  and  stripes. 

Beyond  the  reach  of  his  inhuman  thong,  and  stand- 
ing on  the  soil  of  the  free  State  where  I  was  born, 
thanks  be  to  Heaven,  I  can  raise  my  head  once  more 
among  men.  I  can  speak  of  the  wrongs  I  have  suf- 
fered, and  of  those  who  inflicted  them,  with  upraised 
eyes.  But  I  have  no  desire  to  speak  of  him  or  any 
other  one  otherwise  than  truthfully.  Yet  to  speak 
truthfully  of  Edwin  Epps  would  be  to  say  —  he  is  a 
man  in  whose  heart  the  quality  of  kindness  or  of  jus- 
tice is  not  found.  A  rough,  rude  energy,  united  with 
an  uncultivated  mind  and  an  avaricious  spirit,  are  his 
prominent  characteristics.  He  is  known  as  a  "  nigger 
breaker,"  distinguished  for  his  faculty  of  subduing  the 
spirit  of  the  slave,  and  priding  himself  upon  his  repu- 
tation in  this  respect,  as  a  jockey  boasts  of  his  skill  in 
managing  a  refractory  horse.  He  looked  upon  a  col- 
ored man,  not  as  a  human  being,  responsible  to  his  Crea- 
tor for  the  small  talent  entrusted  to  him,  but  as  a  "  chat- 
tel personal,"  as  mere  live  property,  no  better,  except 
in  value,  than  his  mule  or  dog.  When  the  evidence, 
clear  and  indisputable,  was  laid  before  him  that  I  was 
a  free  man,  and  as  much  entitled  to  my  liberty  as  he 
—  when,  on  the  day  I  left,  he  was  informed  that  I 


184  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

liad  a  wife  and  children,  as  dear  to  rne  as  his  own 
"babes  to  him,  he  only  raved  and  swore,  denouncing 
the  law  that  tore  me  from  him,  and  declaring  he 
would  find  out  the  man  who  had  forwarded  the  letter 
that  disclosed  the  place  of  my  captivity,  if  there  was 
any  virtue  or  power  in  money,  and  would  take  his 
life.  He  thought  of  nothing  but  his  loss,  and  cursed 
me  for  having  been  born  free.  He  could  have  stood 
unmoved  and  seen  the  tongues  of  his  poor  slaves 
torn  out  by  the  roots  —  he  could  have  seen  them 
burned  to  ashes  over  a  slow  lire,  or  gnawed  to  death 
by  dogs,  if  it  only  brought  him  profit.  Such  a  hard, 
cruel,  unjust  man  is  Edwin  Epps. 

There  was  but  one  greater  savage  on  Bayou  Bceuf 
than  he.  Jim  Burns'  plantation  was  cultivated,  as 
already  mentioned,  exclusively  by  women.  That 
barbarian  kept  their  backs  so  sore  and  raw,  that  they 
could  not  perform  the  customary  labor  demanded 
daily  of  the  slave.  He  boasted  of  his  cruelty,  and 
through  all  the  country  round  was  accounted  a  more 
thorough-going,  energetic  man  than  even  Epps.  A 
brute  himself,  Jim  Burns  had  not  a  particle  of  mercy 
for  his  subject  brutes,  and  like  a  fool,  whipped  and 
scourged  away  the  very  strength  upon  which  depend- 
ed his  amount  of  gain. 

Epps  remained  on  Huff  Power  two  years,  when, 
having  accumulated  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  he 
expended  it  in  the  purchase  of  the  plantation  on  the 
east  bank  of  Bayou  Boeuf,  where  he  still  continues  to 
reside.     He  took  possession  of  it  in  1845,  after  the 


UNCLE   ABEAM,    WILEY,    &C.  185 

holidays  were  passed.  He  carried  thither  with  him 
nine  slaves,  all  of  whom,  except  myself,  and  Susan, 
who  has  since  died,  remain  there  yet.  He  made  no 
addition  to  this  force,  and  for  eight  years  the  follow- 
ing were  my  companions  in  his  quarters,  viz  :  Abram, 
"Wiley,  Phebe,  Bob,  Henry,  Edward,  and  Patsey. 
All  these,  except  Edward,  born  since,  were  purchased 
out  of  a  drove  by  Epps  during  the  time  he  was  over- 
seer for  Archy  B.  Williams,  whose  plantation  is  situa- 
ted on  the  shore  of  Red  River,  not  far  from  Alexan- 
dria. 

Abram  was  tall,  standing  a  full  head  above  any 
common  man.  He  is  sixty  years  of  age,  and  was 
born  in  Tennessee.  Twenty  years  ago,  he  was  pur- 
chased by  a  trader,  carried  into  South  Carolina,  and 
sold  to  James  Buford,  of  Willi arnsburgh  county,  in 
that  State.  In  his  youth  he  was  renowned  for  his 
great  strength,  but  age  and  unremitting  toil  have 
somewhat  shattered  his  powerful  frame  and  enfeebled 
his  mental  faculties. 

Wiley  is  forty-eight.     He  was  born  on  the  estate 
of  William  Tassle,  and  for  many  years  took  charge  of  * 
that  gentleman's  ferry  over  the  Big  Black  Kiver,  in 
South  Carolina. 

Phebe  was  a  slave  of  Buford,  Tassle's  neighbor, 
and  having  married  Wiley,  he  bought  the  latter,  at 
her  instigation.  Buford  was  a  kind  master,  sheriff  of 
the  county,  and  in  those  days  a  man  of  wealth. 

Bob  and  Henry  are  Phebe's  children,  by  a  former  t 
husband,  their  father  having  been  abandoned  to  give 


186  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

place  to  Wiley.  That  seductive  youth  had  insinuated 
himself  into  Phebe's  affections,  and  therefore  the 
faithless  spouse  had  gently  kicked  her  first  husband 
out  of  her  cabin  door.  Edward  had  been  born  to 
them  on  Bayou  Huff  Power. 

Patsey  is  twenty-three  —  also  from  Buford's  planta- 
tion. She  is  in  no  wise  connected  with  the  others, 
but  glories  in  the  fact  that  she  is  the  offspring  of  a 
"  Guinea  nigger,"  brought  over  to  Cuba  in  a  slave 
ship,  and  in  the  course  of  trade  transferred  to  Buford, 
who  was  her  mother's  owner. 

This,  as  I  learned  from  them,  is  a  genealogical  account 
of  my  master's  slaves.  For  years  they  had  been  to- 
gether. Often  they  recalled  the  memories  of  other 
days,  and  sighed  to  retrace  their  steps  to  the  old  home 
in  Carolina.  Troubles  came  upon  their  master  Bu- 
ford, which  brought  far  greater  troubles  upon  them. 
He  became  involved  in  debt,  and  unable  to  bear  up 
against  his  failing  fortunes,  was  compelled  to  sell  these, 
and  others  of  his  slaves.  In  a  chain  gang  they  had 
been  driven  from  beyond  the  Mississippi  to  the  plan- 
tation of  Archy  B.  Williams.  Edwin  Epps,  who,  for  a 
long  while  had  been  his  driver  and  overseer,  was 
about  establishing  himself  in  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, at  the  time  of  their  arrival,  and  accepted  them 
in  payment  of  his  wages. 

Old  Ab ram  was  a  kind-hearted  being  —  a  sort  of 
patriarch  among  us,  fond  of  entertaining  his  younger 
brethren  with  grave  and  serious  discourse.  He  was 
deeply  versed  in  such  philosophy  as  is  taught  in  the 


UNCLE   ABEAM   AND   ATJNT   PHEBE.  187 

cabin  of  the  slave ;  but  the  great  absorbing  hobby  of 
Uncle  Abram  was  General  Jackson,  whom  his  young 
master  in  Tennessee  had  followed  to  the  wars.  He 
loved  to  wander  back,  in  imagination,  to  the  place 
where  he  was  born,  and  to  recount  the  scenes  of  his 
youth  during  those  stirring  times  when  the  nation  was 
in  arms.  He  had  been  athletic,  and  more  keen  and 
powerful  than  the  generality  of  his  race,  but  now  his 
eye  had  become  dim,  and  his  natural  force  abated. 
Very  ofteiij  indeed,  while  discussing  the  best  method 
of  baking  the  hoe-cake,  or  expatiating  at  large  upon 
the  glory  of  Jackson,  he  would  forget  where  he  left 
his  hat,  or  his  hoe,  or  his  basket ;  and  then  would  the 
old  man  be  laughed  at,  if  Epps  was  absent,  and  whip- 
ped if  he  was  present.  So  was  he  perplexed  continu- 
ally, and  sighed  to  think  that  he  was  growing  aged 
and  going  to  decay.  Philosophy  and  Jackson  and 
forgetfulness  had  played  the  mischief  with  him,  and 
it  was  evident  that  all  of  them  combined  were  fast 
bringing  down  the  gray  hairs  of  Uncle  Abram  to  the 
grave. 

Aunt  Phebe  had  been  an  excellent  field  hand,  but 
latterly  was  put  into  the  kitchen,  where  she  remained, 
except  occasionally,  in  a  time  of  uncommon  hurry. 
She  was  a  sly  old  creature,  and  when  not  in  the 
presence  of  her  mistress  or  her  master,  was  garrulous 
in  the  extreme. 

Wiley,  on  the  contrary,  was  silent.  He  performed 
his  task  without  murmur  or  complaint,  seldom  in- 
dulging in  the  luxury  of  speech,  except  to  utter  a 


188  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

wish,  tliat  lie  was  away  from  Epps,  and  back  once 
more  in  South  Carolina. 

Boh  and  Henry  had  reached  the  ages  of  twenty 
and  twenty-three,  and  were  distinguished  for  nothing 
extraordinary  or  unusual,  while  Edward,  a  lad  of 
thirteen,  not  yet  able  to  maintain  his  row  in  the  corn 
or  the  cotton  field,  was  kept  in  the  great  house,  to 
wait  on  the  little  Eppses. 

Patsey  was  slim  and  straight.  She  stood  erect  as 
the  human  form  is  capable  of  standing.  There  was 
an  air  of  loftiness  in  her  movement,  that  neither  labor, 
nor  weariness,  nor  punishment  could  destroy.  Truly, 
Patsey  was  a  splendid  animal,  and  were  it  not  that 
bondage  had  enshrouded  her  intellect  in  utter  and 
everlasting  darkness,  would  have  been  chief  among 
ten  thousand  of  her  people.  She  could  leap  the 
highest  fences,  and  a  fleet  hound  it  was  indeed,  that 
could  outstrip  her  in  a  race.  No  horse  could  fling  her 
from  his  back.  She  was  a  skillful  teamster.  She 
turned  as  true  a  furrow  as  the  best,  and  at  splitting 
rails  there  were  none  who  could  excel  her.  When 
the  order  to  halt  was  heard  at  night,  she  would  have 
her  mules  at  the  crib,  unharnessed,  fed  and  curried, 
before  uncle  Abram  had  found  his  hat.  Not,  how- 
ever, for  all  or  any  of  these,  was  she  chiefly  famous. 
Such  lightning-like  motion  was  in  her  fingers  as  no 
other  fingers  ever  possessed,  and  therefore  it  was,  that 
in  cotton  picking  time,  Patsey  was  queen  of  the  field. 

She  had  a  -genial  and  pleasant  temper,  and  was 
faithful  and  obedient.     Naturally,  she  was  a  joyous 


TREATMENT   OF   PATSET.  189 

creature,  a  laughing,  light-hearted  girl,  rejoicing  in 
the  mere  sense  of  existence.  Yet  Patsey  wept  oftener, 
and  suffered  more,  than  any  of  her  companions. 
She  had  heen  literally  excoriated.  Her  back  bore 
the  scars  of  a  thousand  stripes;  not  because  she  was 
backward  in  her  work,  nor  because  she  was  of  an  un- 
mindful and  rebellious  spirit,  but  because  it  had  fallen 
to  her  lot  to  be  the  slave  of  a  licentious  master  and  a 
jealous  mistress.  She  shrank  before  the  lustful  eye  of 
the  one,  and  was  in  danger  even  of  her  life  at  the 
hands  of  the  other,  and  between  the  two,  she  was 
indeed  accursed.  In  the  great  house,  for  days  together, 
there  were  high  and  angry  words,  poutings  and 
estrangement,  whereof  she  was  the  innocent  cause. 
Nothing  delighted  the  mistress  so  much  as  to  see  her 
suffer,  and  more  than  once,  when  Epps  had  refused  to 
sell  her,  has  she  tempted  me  with  bribes  to  put  her 
secretly  to  death,  and  bury  her  body  in  some  lonely 
place  in  the  margin  of  the  swamp.  Gladly  would 
Patsey  have  appeased  this  unforgiving  spirit,  if  it  had 
been  in  her  power,  but  not  like  Joseph,  dared  sho 
escape  from  Master  Epps,  leaving  her  garment  in  his 
hand.  Patsey  walked  under  a  cloud.  If  she- uttered 
a  word  in  opposition  to  her  master's  will,  the  lash  was 
resorted  to  at  once,  to  bring  her  to  subjection  ;  if  she 
was  not  watchful  when  about  her  cabin,  or  when 
walking  in  the  yard,  a  billet  of  wood,  or  a  broken 
bottle  perhaps,  hurled  from  her  mistress'  hand,  would 
smite  her  unexpectedly  in  the  face.  The  enslaved  vic- 
tim of  lust  and  hate,  Patsey  had  no  comfort  of  her  life. 


190  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

These  were  my  companions  and  fellow-slaves,  with 
whom  I  was  accustomed  to  be  driven  to  the  field,  and 
with  whom  it  has  been  my  lot  to  dwell  for  ten  years 
in  the  log  cabins  of  Edwin  Epps.  They,  if  living,  are 
yet  toiling  on  the  banks  of  Bayou  Boeuf,  never  des- 
tined to  breathe,  as  I  now  do,  the  blessed  air  of  liberty, 
nor  to  shake  oif  the  heavy  shackles  that  enthrall 
them,  until  they  shall  lie  down  forever  in  the  dust. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DESTRUCTION    OF  THE    COTTON    CROP    IN    1845 DEMAND    FOR   LABORERS  IN 

ST.    MART'S    PARISH SENT   THITHER   IN    A    DROVE THE   ORDER   OF   THE 

MARCH THE     GRAND    COTEAU HIRED    TO    JUDGE    TURNER    ON     BAYOU 

SALLE APPOINTED    DRIVER   IN    HIS    SUGAR   HOUSE SUNDAY     SERVICES 

SLAVE   FURNITURE,     HOW    OBTAINED THE    PARTY   AT   YARNEY's  IN  CEN- 

TREVILLE GOOD   FORTUNE THE   CAPTAIN    OF   THE   STEAMER HIS   RE- 
FUSAL  TO  SECRETE  ME RETURN  TO  BAYOU  BOJUF SIGHT  OF  TIBEATS 

PATSEY'S     SORROWS TUMULT   AND     CONTENTION HUNTING    THE   COON 

AND    OPOSSUM THE   CUNNING    OF   THE    LATTER THE   LEAN    CONDITION 

OF  THE   SLAVE DESCRIPTION    OF   THE  FISH  TRAP THE  MURDER  OF  THE 

MAN    FROM  NATCHEZ EPPS  CHALLENGED  BY  MARSHALL THE  INFLUENCE 

OF  SLAVERY THE   LOVE   OF   FREEDOM. 

The  first  year  of  Epps'  residence  on  the  bayou, 
1845,  the  caterpillars  almost  totally  destroyed  the 
cotton  crop  throughout  that  region.  There  was  little 
to  be  done,  so  that  the  slaves  were  necessarily  idle 
half  the  time.  However,  there  came  a  rumor  to  Ba- 
you Bceuf  that  wages  were  high,  and  laborers  in  great 
demand  on  the  sugar  plantations  in  St.  Mary's  parish. 
This  parish  is  situated  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from 
Avoyelles.  The  Eio  Teche,  a  considerable  stream, 
flows  through  St.  Mary's  to  the  gulf. 


192  TWELVE  TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

It  was  determined  by  the  planters,  on  the  receipt 
of  this  intelligence,  to  make  up  a  drove  of  slaves  to 
"be  sent  down  to  Tuckapaw  in  St.  Mary's,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hiring  them  out  in  the  cane  fields.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  month  of  September,  there  were  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  collected  at  Holmesville, 
Abram,  Bob  and  myself  among  the  number.  Of  these 
about  one-half  were  women.  Epps,  Alonson  Pierce, 
Henry  Toler,  and  Addison  Roberts,  were  the  white 
men,  selected  to  accompany,  and  take  charge  of  the 
drove.  They  had  a  two-horse  carriage  and  two  sad- 
dle horses  for  their  use.  A  large  wagon,  drawn  by 
four  horses,  and  driven  by  John,  a  boy  belonging  to 
Mr.  Roberts,  carried  the  blankets  and  provisions. 

About  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  having  been  fed, 
preparations  were  made  to  depart.  The  duty  assign- 
ed me  was,  to  take  charge  of  the  blankets  and  pro- 
visions, and  see  that  none  were  lost  by  the  way.  The 
carriage  proceeded  in  advance,  the  wagon  following ; 
behind  this  the  slaves  were  arranged,  while  the  two, 
horsemen  brought  up  the  rear,  and  in  this  order  the 
procession  moved  out  of  Holmesville. 

That  night  we  reached  a  Mr.  McCrow's  plantation, 
a  distance  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles,  when  we  were  or- 
dered to  halt.  Large  fires  were  built,  and  each  one 
spreading  his  blanket  on  the  ground,  laid  down  upon 
it.  The  white  men  lodged  in  the  great  house.  An 
hour  before  day  we  were  aroused  by  the  drivers  com- 
ing among  us,  cracking  their  whips  and  ordering  us 
to  arise.     Then  the  blankets  were  rolled  up,  and  be- 


'  MARCH  TO   ST.  MARY'S  PARISH.  193 

ing  severally  delivered  to  me  and  deposited  in  tho 
wagon,  the  procession  set  forth  again. 

The  following  night  it  rained  violently.  We  were 
all  drenched,  our  clothes  saturated  with  mud  and  wa- 
ter. Reaching  an  open  shed,  formerly  a  gin-house)  we 
found  beneath  it  such  shelter  as  it  afforded.  There 
was  not  room  for  all  of  us  to  lay  down.  There.  We 
remained,  huddled  together,  through  the  night,  con- 
tinuing our  march,  as  usual,  in  the  morning.  During 
the  journey  we  were  fed  twice  a  day,  boiling  our 
bacon  and  baking  our  corn-cake  at  the  fires  in  the 
same  manner  as  in  our  huts.  We  passed  through  La- 
fayetteville,  Mountsville,  ISTew-Town,  to  Centreville, 
where  Bob  and  Uncle  Abram  were  hired.  Our  num- 
ber decreased  as  we  advanced — nearly  every  sugar 
plantation  requiring  the  services  of  one  or  more. 

On  our  route  we  passed  the  Grand  Coteau  or  prairie, 
a  vast  space  of  level,  monotonous  country,  without  a 
tree,  except  an  occasional  one  which  had  been  trans- 
planted near  some  dilapidated  dwelling.  It  was  once 
thickly  populated,  and  under  cultivation,  but  for  some 
cause  had  been  abandoned.  The  business  of  the 
scattered  inhabitants  that  now  dwell  upon  it  is  prin- 
cipally raising  cattle.  Immense  herds  were  feeding 
upon  it  as  we  passed.  In  the  centre  of  the  Grand 
Coteau  one  feels  as  if  he  were  on  the  ocean,  out 
of  sight  of  land.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  in  all 
directions,  it  is  but  a  ruined  and  deserted  waste. 

I  was  hired  to  Judge  Turner,  a  distinguished  man, 
and  extensive  planter,  whose  large  esta^ 

T  13 


194  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

on  Bayou  Salle,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  gulf.  Bay 
on  Salle  is  a  small  stream  flowing  into  the  hay  of 
Atchafalaya.  For  some  days  I  was  employed  at 
Turner's  in  repairing  his  sugar  house,  when  a  cane 
knife  was  put  into  my  hand,  and  with  thirty  or 
forty  others,  I  was  sent  into  the  field.  I  found  no 
such  difficulty  in  learning  the  art  of  cutting  cane 
that  I  had  in  picking  cotton.  It  came  to  me  natural- 
ly and  intuitively,  and  in  a  short  time  I  was  able  to 
keep  up  with  the  fastest  knife.  Before  the  cutting 
was  over,  however,  Judge  Tanner  transferred  me  from 
the  field  to  the  sugar  house,  to  act  there  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  driver.  From  the  time  of  the  commence- 
ment of  sugar  making  to  the  close,  the  grinding  and 
boiling  does  not  cease  day  or  night.  The  whip  was 
given  me  with  directions  to  use  it  upon  any  one  who 
was  caught  standing  idle.  If  I  failed  to  obey  them 
to  the  letter,  there  was  another  one  for  my  own  back. 
In  addition  to  this  my  duty  was  to  call  on  and  off  the 
different  gangs  at  the  proper  time.  I  had  no  regular 
periods  of  rest,  and  could  never  snatch  but  a  few  mo- 
ments of  sleep  at  a  time. 

It  is  the  custom  in  Louisiana,  as  I  presume  it  is  in 
other  slave  States,  to  allow  the  slave  to  retain  what- 
•ever  compensation  he  may  obtain  for  services  per- 
formed on  Sundays.  In  this  way,  only,  are  they  able 
to  provide  themselves  with  any  luxury  or  conveni- 
ence whatever.  When  a  slave,  purchased, or  kidnap- 
ped in  the  North,  is  transported  to  a  cabin  on  Bayou 
23  -- "f  be  is  furnished  with  neither  knife,  nor  fork, 


SUNDAY   SERVICES.  195 

nor  dish,  nor  kettle,  nor  any  other  thing  in  the  shape 
of  crockery,  or  furniture  of  any  nature  or  description. 
He  is  furnished  with  a  blanket  before  he  reaches 
there,  and  wrapping  that  around  him,  he  can  either 
stand  up,  or  lie  down  upon  the  ground,  or  on  aboard, 
if  his  master  has  no  nse  for  it.  He  is  at  liberty  to 
find  a  gonrd  in  which  to  keep  his  meal,  or  he  can  eat 
his  corn  from  the  cob,  just  as  he  pleases.  To  ask  the 
master  for  a  knife,  or  skillet,  or  any  small  convenience 
of  the  kind,  would  be  answered  with  a  kick,  or  laugh- 
ed at  as  a  joke.  Whatever  necessary  article  of  this 
nature  is  found  in  a  cabin  has  been  purchased  with 
Sunday  money.  However  injurious  to  the  morals, 
it  is  certainly  a  blessing  to  the  physical  condition  of 
the  slave,  to  be  permitted  to  break  the  Sabbath. 
Otherwise  there  would  be  no  way  to  provide  him- 
self with  any  utensils,  which  seem  to  be  indispensa- 
ble to  him  who  is  compelled  to  be  his  own  cook. 
On  cane  plantations  in  sugar  time,  there  is  no  dis- 
tinction as  to  the  days  of  the  week.  It  is  well  un- 
derstood that  all  hands  must  labor  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  it  is  equally  well  understood  that  those  especial- 
ly who  are  hired,  as  I  was  to  Judge  Turner,  and  oth- 
ers in  succeeding  years,  shall  receive  remuneration 
for  it.  It  is  usual,  also,  in  the  most  hurrying  time  of 
cotton-picking,  to  require  the  same  extra  service. 
From  this  source,  slaves  generally  are  afforded  an 
opportunity  of  earning  sufficient  to  purchase  a  knife, 
a  kettle,  tobacco  and  so  forth.  The  females,  discard- 
ing the  latter  luxury,  are  apt  to  expend  their  little 


196  TWELTE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

revenue  in  the  purchase  of  gaudy  ribbons,  wherewithal 
to  deck  their  hair  in  the  merry  season  of  the  holidays. 

I  remained  in  St.  Mary's  until  the  first  of  January, 
during  which  time  my  Sunday  money  amounted  to 
ten  dollars.  I  met  with  other  good  fortune,  for  which 
I  was  indebted  to  my  violin,  my  constant  companion, 
the  source  of  profit,  and  soother  of  my  sorrows  during 
years  of  servitude.  There  was  '  a  grand  party  of 
whites  assembled  at  Mr.  Yarney's,  in  Centreville,  a 
hamlet  in  the  vicinity  of  Turner's  plantation.  I  was 
employed  to  play  for  them,  and  so  well  pleased  were 
the  merry-makers  with  my  performance,  that  a  con- 
tribution was  taken  for  my  benefit,  which  amounted 
to  seventeen  dollars. 

"With  this  sum  in  possession,  I  was  looked  upon  by 
my  fellows  as  a  millionaire.  It  afforded  me  great 
pleasure  to  look  at  it  —  to  count  it  over  and  over 
again,  day  after  day.  Visions  of  cabin  furniture,  of 
water  pails,  of  pocket  knives,  new  shoes  and  coats 
and  hats,  floated  through  my  fancy,  and  up  through 
all  rose  the  triumphant  contemplation,  that  I  was 
the  wealthiest  "  nigger"  on  Bayou  Bceuf. 

Vessels  run  up  the  Bio  Teche  to  Centreville. 
"While  there,  I  was  bold  enough  one  day  to  present 
myself  before  the  captain  of  a  steamer,  and  beg  per- 
mission to  hide  myself  among  the  freight.  I  was 
emboldened  to  risk  the  hazard  of  such  a  step,  from 
overhearing  a  conversation,  in  the  course  of  which  I 
ascertained  he  was  a  native  of  the  I^orth.  I  did  not 
relate  to  him  the  particulars  of  my  history,  but  only 


RETURN  TO  BATOU   BCEUF.  197 

expressed  an  ardent  desire  to  escape  from  slavery  to 
a  free  State.  He  pitied  me,  but  said  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  avoid  the  vigilant  custom  house  officers  in 
New-Orleans,  and  that  detection  would  subject  him 
to  punishment,  and  his  vessel  to  confiscation.  My 
earnest  entreaties  evidently  excited  his  sympathies,  I 
and  doubtless  he  would  have  yielded  to  them,  could 
he  have  done  so  with  any  kind  of  safety.  I  was 
compelled  to  smother  the  sudden  flame  that  lighted 
up  my  bosom  with  sweet  hopes  of  liberation,  and 
turn  my  steps  once  more  towards  the  increasing 
darkness  of  despair. 

Immediately  after  this  event  the  drove  assembled 
at  Centreville,  and  several  of  the  owners  having  ar- 
rived and  collected  the  monies  due  for  our  services, 
we  were  driven  back  to  Bayou  Bceuf.  It  was  on  our 
return,  while  passing  through  a  small  village,  that  I 
caught  sight  of  Tib  eats,  seated  in  the  door  of  a  dirty 
grocery,  looking  somewhat  seedy  and  out  of  repair. 
Passion  and  poor  whisky,  I  doubt  not,  have  ere  this 
laid  him  on  the  shelf. 

During  our  absence,  I  learned  from  Aunt  Phebe  ^ 
and  Patsey,  that  the  latter  had  been  getting  deeper 
and  deeper  into  trouble.  The  poor  girl  was  truly  an 
object  of  pity.  "  Old  Hogjaw,"  the  name  by  which 
Epps  was  called,  when  the  slaves  were  by  themselves, 
had  beaten  her  more  severely  and  frequently  than 
ever.  As  surely  as  he  came  from  Holmesville,  elated 
with  liquor  —  and  it  was  often  in  those  days  —  he 
would  whip  her,  merely  to  gratify  the  mistress  ;  would 


198  TWELVE  TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

punish  her  to  an  extent  almost  beyond  endurance,  for 
an  offence  of  which  he  himself  was  the  sole  and  irre- 
sistible cause.  In  his  sober  moments  he  could  not  al- 
ways be  prevailed  upon  to  indulge  his  wife's  insatia- 
ble thirst  for  vengeance. 

To  be  rid  of  Patsey  —  to  place  her  beyond  sight  or 
reach,  by  sale,  or  death,  or  in  any  other  manner,  of 
late  years,  seemed  to  be  the  ruling  thought  and  pas- 
sion of  my  mistress.  Patsey  had  been  a  favorite  when 
a  child,  even  in  the  great  house.  She  had  been  pet- 
ted and  admired  for  her  uncommon  sprightliness  and 
pleasant  disposition.  She  had  been  fed  many  a  time, 
so  Uncle  Abram  said,  even  on  biscuit  and  milk,  when 
the  madam,  in  her  younger  days,-  was  wont  to  call 
her  to  the  piazza,  and  fondle  her  as  she  would  a  play- 
ful Idtten.  But  a  sad  change  had  come  over  the  spirit 
of  the  woman.  ISTow,  only  black  and  angry  fiends 
ministered  in  the  temple  of  her  heart,  until  she  could 
look  on  Patsey  but  with  concentrated  venom. 

Mistress  Epps  was  not  naturally  such  an  evil  wo- 
man, after  all.  She  was  possessed  of  the  devil,  jeal- 
ousy, it  is  true,  but  aside  from  that,  there  was  much 
in  her  character  to  admire.  Her  father,  Mr.  Roberts, 
resided  in  Cheneyville,  an  influential  and  honorable 
man,  and  as  much  respected  throughout  the  parish 
as  any  other  citizen.  She  had  been  well  educated  at 
some  institution  this  side  the  Mississippi ;  was  beauti- 
ful, accomplished,  and  usually  good-humored.  She 
was  kind  to  all  of  us  but  Patsey  —  frequently,  in  the 
absence  of  her  husband,  sending  out  to  us  some  little 


patsey's  sokkows.  199 

dainty  from  her  own  table.  In  other  situations  —  in 
a  different  society  from  that  which  exists  on  the  shores 
of  Bayou  Boeuf,  she  would  have  been  pronounced  an 
elegant  and  fascinating  woman.  An  ill  wind  it  was 
that  blew  her  into  the  arms  of  Epps. 

He  respected  and  loved  his  wife  as  much  as  a  coarse 
nature  like  his  is  capable  of  loving,  but  supreme  sel- 
fishness always  overmastered  conjugal  affection. 

"He  loved  as  well  as  baser  natures  can, 

But  a  mean  heart  and  soul  were  in  that  man." 

He  was  ready  to  gratify  any  whim  —  to  grant  any  re- 
quest she  made,  provided  it  did  not  cost  too  much. 
Patsey  was  equal  to  any  two  of  his  slaves  in  the  cot- 
ton field.  He  could  not  replace  her  with  the  same 
money  she  would  bring.  The  idea  of  disposing  of 
her,  therefore,  could  not  be  entertained.  The  mistress 
did  not  regard  her  at  all  in  that  light.  The  pride  of 
the  haughty  woman  was  aroused ;  the  blood  of  the 
fiery  southern  boiled  at  the  sight  of  Patsey,  and  noth- 
ing less  than  trampling  out  the  life  of  the  helpless 
bondwoman  would  satisfy  her. 

Sometimes  the  current  of  her  wrath  turned  upon 
him  whom  she  had  jus.t  cause  to  hate.  But  the  storm 
of  angry  words  would  pass  over  at  length,  and  there 
would  be  a  season  of  calm  again.  At  such  times  Pat- 
sey trembled  with  fear,  and  cried  as  if  her  heart  would 
break,  for  she  knew  from  painful  experience,  that  if 
mistress  should  work  herself  to  the  red-hot  pitch  of 
rage,  Epps  would  quiet  her  at  last  with  a  promise  that 
Patsey  should  be  flogged  —  a  promise  he  was  sure  to 


200  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

keep.  Thus  did  pride,  and  jealousy,  and  vengeance 
war  with  avarice  and  brute-passion  in  the  mansion  of 
my  master,  filling  it  with  daily  tumult  and  conten- 
tion. Thus,  upon  the  head  of  Patsey  —  the  simple- 
minded  slave,  in  whose  heart  God  had  implanted  the 
seeds  of  virtue — the  force  of  all  these  domestic  tem- 
pests spent  itself  at  last. 

During  the  summer  succeeding  my  return  from  St. 
Mary's  parish,  I  conceived  a  plan  of  providing  myself 
with  food,  which,  though  simple,  succeeded  "beyond 
expectation.  It  has  been  followed  by  many  others 
in  my  condition,  up  and  down  the  bayou,  and  of  such 
benefit  has  it  become  that  I  am  almost  persuaded  to 
look  upon  myself  as  a  benefactor.  That  summer  the 
worms  got  into  the  bacon.  JSTothing  but  ravenous 
hunger  could  induce  us  to  swallow  it.  The  weekly 
allowance  of  meal  scarcely  sufficed  to  satisfy  us.  It 
was  customary  with  us,  as  it  is  with  all  in  that  region, 
where  the  allowance  is  exhausted  before  Saturday 
night,  or  is  in  such  a  state  as  to  render  it  nauseous 
and  disgusting,  to  hunt  in  the  swamps  for  coon  and 
opossum.  This,  however,  must  be  done  at  night,  af- 
ter the  day's  work  is  accomplished.  There  are  plan- 
ters whose  slaves,  for  months  at  a  time,  have  no  other 
meat  than  such  as  is  obtained  in  this  manner.  ]S"o 
objections  are  made  to  hunting,  inasmuch  as  it  dis- 
penses with  drafts  upon  the  smoke-house,  and  because 
•every  marauding  coon  that  is  killed  is  so  much  saved 
from  the  standing  corn.  They  are  hunted  with  dogs 
and  clubs,  slaves  not  being  allowed  the  use  of  fire-arms. 


HUNTING   THE   COON   AND    OPOSSUM.  201 

The  flesh  of  the  coon  is  palatable,  but  verily  there 
is  nothing  in  all  butcherdom  so  delicious  as  a  roasted 
'possum.  They  are  a  round,  rather  long-bodied,  little* 
animal,  of  a  whitish  color,  with  nose  like  a  pig,  and 
caudal  extremity  like  a  rat.  They  burrow  among 
the  roots  and  in  the  hollows  of  the  gum  tree,  and  are 
clumsy  and  slow  of  motion.  They  are  deceitful  and 
cunning  creatures.  On  receiving  the  slightest  tap  of 
a  stick,  they  will  roll  over  on  the  ground  and  feign 
death.  If  the  hunter  leaves  him,  in  pursuit  of  anoth- 
er, without  first  taking  particular  pains  to  break  his 
neck,  the  chances  are,  on  his  return,  he  is  not  to  be 
found.  The  little  animal  has  out  witted  the  enemy 
■ — has  "  played  'possum"  —  and  is  off.  But  after  a 
long  and  hard  day's  work,  the  weary  slave  feels  little 
like  going  to  the  swamp  for  his  supper,  and  half  the 
time  prefers  throwing  himself  on  the  cabin  floor  with- 
out it.  It  is  for  the  interest  of  the  master  that  the  ser- 
vant should  not  suffer  in  health  from  starvation,  and 
it  is  also  for  his  interest  that  he  should  not  become  gross 
from  over-feeding.  In  the  estimation  of  the  owner,  a 
slave  is  the  most  serviceable  when  in  rather  a  lean 
and  lank  condition,  such  a  condition  as  the  race-horse 
is  in,  when  fitted  for  the  course,  and  in  that  condition 
they  are  generally  to  be  found  on  the  sugar  and  cot- 
ton plantations  along  Red  River. 

My  cabin  was  within  a  few  rods  of  the  bayou  bank, 

and  necessity  being  indeed  the  mother  of  invention,  I 

resolved  upon  a  mode   of  obtaining  the  requisite 

amount  of  food,  without  the  trouble  of  resorting  night- 
I* 


202  TWELVE  TEARS  A  SLAVE 

ly  to  the  woods.  This  was  to  construct  a  fish  trap. 
Having,  in  niy  mind,  conceived  the  manner  in  which 
it  could  be  done,  the  next  Sunday  I  set  about  putting 
it  into  practical  execution.  It  may  be  impossible  for 
me  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  full  and  correct  idea  of 
its  construction,  but  the  following  will  serve  as  a  gen- 
eral description : 

A  frame  between  two  and  three  feet  square  is  made, 
and  of  a  greater  or  less  height,  according  to  the 
depth  of  water.  Boards  or  slats  are  nailed  on  three 
sides  of  this  frame,  not  so  closely,  however,  as  to  pre- 
vent the  water  circulating  freely  through  it.  A  door 
is  fitted  into  the  fourth  side,  in  such  manner  that  it 
will  slide  easily  up  and  down  in  the  grooves  cut  in 
the  two  posts.  A  movable  bottom  is  then  so  fitted 
that  it  can  be  raised  to  the  top  of  the  frame  without 
difficulty.  In  the  centre  of  the  movable  bottom  an 
auger  hole  is  bored,  and  into  this  one  end  of  a  handle 
or  round  stick  is  fastened  on  the  under  side  so  loosely 
that  it  will  turn.  The  handle  ascends  from  the  centre 
of  the  movable  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  frame,  or  as 
much  higher  as  is  desirable.  Up  and  down  this 
handle,  in  a  great  many  places,  are  gimlet  holes, 
through  which  small  sticks  are  inserted,  extending  to 
opposite  sides  of  the  frame.  So  many  of  these  small 
sticks  are  running  out  from  the  handle  in  all  direc- 
tions, that  a  fish  of  any  considerable  dimensions  can- 
not pass  through  without  hitting  one  of  them.  The 
frame  is  then  placed  in  the  water  and  made  sta- 
tionary. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE   FISH  TEAP.  203 

The  trap  is  "  set"  by  sliding  or  drawing  up  the  door, 
and  kept  in  that  position  by  another  stick,  one  end 
of  which  rests  in  a  notch  on  the  inner  side,  the  other 
end  in  a  notch  made  in  the  handle,  running  up  from 
the  centre  of  the  movable  bottom.  The  trap  is 
baited  by  rolling  a  handful  of  wet  meal  and  cotton 
together  until  it  becomes  hard,  and  depositing  it  in 
the  back  part  of  the  frame.  A  fish  swimming  through 
the  upraised  door  towards  the  bait,  necessarily  strikes 
one  of  the  small  sticks  turning  the  handle,  which  dis 
placing  the  stick  supporting  the  door,  the  latter  falls, 
securing  the  fish  within  the  frame.  Taking  hold  of 
the  top  of  the  handle,  the  movable  bottom  is  then 
drawn  up  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  the  fish 
taken  out.  There  may  have  been  other  such  traps  in 
use  before  mine  was  constructed,  but  if  there  were 
I  had  never  happened  to  see  one.  Bayou  Bceuf 
abounds  in  fish  of  large  size  and  excellent  quality, 
and  after  this  time  I  was  very  rarely  in  want  of  one 
for  myself,  or  for  my  comrades.  Thus  a  mine  was 
opened  —  a  new  resource  was  developed,  hitherto  un- 
thought  of  by  the  enslaved  children  of  Africa,  who 
toil  and  hunger  along  the  shores  of  that  sluggish,  but 
prolific  stream. 

About  the  time  of  which  I  am  now  writing,  an 
event  occurred  in  our  immediate  neighborhood,  which 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  me,  and  which  shows 
the  state  of  society  existing  there,  and  the  manner  in 
which  affronts  are  oftentimes  avenged.  Directly  op- 
posite our  quarters,  on  the  other  side  of  the  bayou, 


2<Q£  TWELVE  YEAES  A  SLAVE. 

was  situated  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Marshall.  He 
"belonged  to  a  family  among  the  most  wealthy  and 
aristocratic  in  the  country.  A  gentleman  from  the 
vicinity  of  Natchez  had  been  negotiating  with  him 
for  the  purchase  of  the  estate.  One  day  a  messenger 
came  in  great  haste  to  our  plantation,  saying  that  a 
bloody  and  fearful  battle  was  going  on  at  Mar- 
shall's—  that  blood  had  been  spilled  —  and  unless 
the  combatants  were  forthwith  separated,  the  result 
would  be  disastrous. 

On  repairing  to  Marshall's  house,  a  scene  presented 
itself  that  beggars  description.  On  the  floor  of  one 
of  the  rooms  lay  the  ghastly  corpse  of  the  man  from 
Natchez,  while  Marshall,  enraged  and  covered  with 
wounds  and  blood,  was  stalking  back  and  forth, 
"  breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter."  A  diffi- 
culty had  arisen  in  the  course  of  their  negotiation, 
high  words  ensued,  when  drawing  their  weapons,  the 
deadly  strife  began  that  ended  so  unfortunately. 
Marshall  was  never  placed  in  confinement.  A  sort  of 
trial  or  investigation  was  had  at  Marksville,  when  he 
was  acquitted,  and  returned  to  his  plantation,  rather 
more  respected,  as  I  thought,  than  ever,  from  the  fact 
that  the  blood  of  a  fellow  being  was  on  his  soul. 

Epps  interested  himself  in  his  behalf,  accompany- 
ing him  to  Marksville,  and  on  all  occasions  loudly 
justifying  him,  but  his  services  in  this  respect  did  not 
afterwards  deter  a  kinsman  of  this  same  Marshall 
from  seeking  his  life  also.  A  brawl  occurred  between 
them  over  a  gambling-table,  which  terminated  in  a 


EPPS   CHALLENGED.  205 

deadly  feud.  Riding  up  on  horseback  in  front  of  the 
house  one  day,  armed  with  pistols  and  bowie  knife, 
Marshall  challenged  him  to  come  forth  and  make  a 
final  settlement  of  the  quarrel,  or  he  would  brand 
him  as  a  coward,  and  shoot  him  like  a  dog  the  first 
opportunity.  ISTot  through  cowardice,  nor  from  any 
conscientious  scruples,  in  my  opinion,  but  through  the 
influence  of  his  wife,  he  was  restrained  from  accept- 
ing the  challenge  of  his  enemy.  A  reconciliation, 
however,  was  effected  afterward,  since  which  time 
they  have  been  on  terms  of  the  closest  intimacy. 

Such  occurrences,  which  would  bring  upon  the 
parties  concerned  in  them  merited  and  condign  pun- 
ishment in  the  Northern  States,  are  frequent  on  the 
bayou,  and  pass  without  notice,  and  almost  without 
comment.  Every  man  carries  his  bowie  knife,  and 
when  two  fall  out,  they  set  to  work  hacking  and 
thrusting  at  each  other,  more  like  savages  than  civ- 
ilized and  enlightened  beings. 

The  existence  of  Slavery  in  its  most  cruel  form 
among  them,  has  a  tendency  to  brutalize  the  humane 
and  finer  feelings  of  their  nature.  Daily  witnesses  of 
human  suffering — listening  to  the  agonizing  screeches 
of  the  slave — beholding  him  writhing  beneath  the 
merciless  lash  —  bitten  and  torn  by  dogs  —  dying 
without  attention,  and  buried  without  shroud  or 
coffin  —  it  cannot  otherwise  be  expected,  than  that 
they  should  become  brutified  and  reckless  of  human 
life.  It  is  true  there  are  many  kind-hearted  and  good 
men  in  the  parish  of  Avoyelles  —  such  men  as  "Wil- 


206  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

liam  Ford  —  who  can  look  with  pity  upon  the  suffer- 
ings of  a  slave,  just  as  there  are,  over  all  the  world, 
sensitive  and  sympathetic  spirits,  who  cannot  look 
with  indifference  upon  the  sufferings  of  any  creature 
which  the  Almighty  has  endowed  with  life.  It  is 
not  the  fault  of  the  slaveholder  that  he  is  cruel,  so 
much  as  it  is  the  fault  of  the  system  under  which  he 
lives.  He  cannot  withstand  the  influence  of  habit 
and  associations  that  surround  him.  Taught  from 
earliest  childhood,  by  all  that  he  sees  and  hears,  that 
the  rod  is  for  the  slave's  back,  he  will  not  be  apt  to 
change  his  opinions  in  maturer  years. 

There  may  be  humane  masters,  as  there  certainly 
are  inhuman  ones  —  there  may  be  slaves  well-clothed, 
well-fed,  and  happy,  as  there  surely  are  those  half- 
clad,  half-starved  and  miserable ;  nevertheless,  the 
institution  that  tolerates  such  wrong  and  inhumanity 
as  I  have  witnessed,  is  a  cruel,  unjust,  and  barbarous 
one.  Men  may  write  fictions  portraying  lowly  life  as 
it  is,  or  as  it  is  not — may  expatiate  with  owlish 
gravity  upon  the  bliss  of  ignorance  —  discourse  flip- 
pantly from  arm  chairs  of  the  pleasures  of  slave  life ; 
but  let  them  toil  with  him  in  the  field — sleep  with 
him  in  the  cabin  —  feed  with  him  on  husks ;  let  them  ' 
behold  him  scourged,  hunted,  trampled  on,  and  they 
will  come  back  with  another  story  in  their  mouths. 
Let  them  know  the  heart  of  the  poor  slave  —  learn 
his  secret  thoughts  —  thoughts  he  dare  not  utter  in 
the  hearing  of  the  white  man ;  let  them  sit  by  him 
in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night  —  converse  with 


THE  LOVE   OF  FREEDOM.  207 

him  in  trustful  confidence,  of  "  life,  liberty,  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness,"  and  they  will  find  that  ninety- 
nine  out  of  every  hundred  are  intelligent  enough  to 
understand  their  situation,  and  to  cherish  in  their 
bosoms  the  love  of  freedom,  as  passionately  as  them- 
selves. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

labors  on  sugar  plantations  —  the  mode  of  planting  cane of  hoeing 

cane cane  ricks cutting  cane description  of  the  cane  knife 

"wlnrowing preparing  for  succeeding  crops description   of 

hawkins'  sugar  mill  on  bayou  bosuf — the   Christmas   holidays  — 

the  carnival  season  of  the  children  of  bondage the  christmas 

supper red,  the  favorite  color the  violin,  and  the  consolation 

it  afforded the  christmas   dance lively,  the  coquette — -sam 

roberts,  and  his  rivals slave  songs southern  liee  as  it  is 

THREE  DAYS  LN  THE  YEAR THE  SYSTEM    OF   MARRIAGE UNCLE  ABRAm's 

CONTEMPT  OF  MATRIMONY. 

In  consequence  of  my  inability  in  cotton-picking, 
Epps  was  in  the  habit  of  hiring  me  out  on  sugar 
plantations  during  the  season  of  cane-cutting  and 
sugar-making.  He  received  for  my  services  a  dollar 
a  day,  with  the  money  supplying  my  place  on  his 
cotton  plantation.  Cutting  cane  was  an  employment 
that  suited  me,  and  for  three  successive  years  I  held 
the  lead  row  at  Hawkins',  leading  a  gang  of  from 
fifty  to  an  hundred  hands. 

In  a  previous  chapter  the  mode  of  cultivating  cot- 
ton is  described.  This  may  be  the  proper  place  to 
speak  of  the  manner  of  cultivating  cane. 

The  ground  is  prepared  in  beds,  the  same  as  it  is 
prepared  for  the  reception  of  the  cotton  seed,  except 


MODE  OF  PLANTING  CANE.  209 

it  is  ploughed  deeper.  Drills  are  made  in  the  same* 
manner.  Planting  commences  in  January,  and  con- 
tinues until  April.  It  is  necessary  to  plant  a  sugar 
field  only  once  in  three  years.  Three  crops  are  taken 
before  the  seed  or  plant  is  exhausted. 

Three  gangs  are  employed  in  the  operation.  One 
draws  the  cane  from  the  rick,  or  stack,  cutting  the 
top  and  flags  from  the  stalk,  leaving  only  that  part 
which  is  sound  and  healthy.  Each  joint  of  the  cane 
has  an  eye,  like  the  eye  of  a  potato,  which  sends  forth 
a  sprout  when  buried  in  the  soil.  Another  gang  lays 
the  cane  in  the  drill,  placing  two  stalks  side  by  side 
in  such  manner  that  joints  will  occur  once  in  four  or 
six  inches.  The  third  gang  follows  with  hoes,  drawing 
earth  upon  the  stalks,  and  covering  them  to  the  depth 
of  three  inches. 

In  four  weeks,  at  the  farthest,  the  sprouts  appear 
above  the  ground,  and  from  this  time  forward  grow 
with  great  rapidity.  A  sugar  field  is  hoed  three 
times,  the  same  as  cotton,  save  that  a  greater  quantity 
of  earth  is  drawn  to  the  roots.  By  the  first  of  Au- 
gust hoeing  is  usually  over.  About  the  middle  of 
September,  whatever  is  required  for  seed  is  cut  and 
stacked  in  ricks,  as  they  are  termed.  In  October  it 
is  ready  for  the  mill  or  sugar-house,  and  then  the  gen- 
eral cutting  begins.  The  blade  of  a  cane-knife  is  fif- 
teen inches  long,  three  inches  wide  in  the  middle,  and 
tapering  towards  the  point  and  handle.  The  blade 
is  thin,  and  in  order  to%be  at  all  serviceable  must  be 
kept  very  sharp.    Every  third  hand  takes  the  lead  of 

14 


210  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

two  others,  one  of  whom  is  on  each  side  of  him.  The 
lead  hand,  in  the  first  place,  with  a  blow  of  his  knife 
shears  the  flags  from  the  stalk.  He  next  cuts  off  the 
top  down  as  far  as  it  is  green.  He  must  be  careful 
to  sever  all  the  green  from  the  ripe  part,  inasmuch 
as  the  juice  of  the  former  sours  the  molasses,  and  ren- 
ders it  unsalable.  Then  he  severs  the  stalk  at  the 
root,  and  lays  it  directly  behind  him.  His  right  and 
left  hand  companions  lay  their  stalks,  when  cut  in  the 
same  manner,  upon  his.  To  every  three  hands  there 
is  a  cart,  which  follows,  and  the  stalks  are  thrown  into 
it  by  the  younger  slaves,  when  it  is  drawn  to  the  su- 
gar-house and  ground. 

If  the  planter  apprehends  a  frost,  the  cane  is  win- 
rowed.  "Winrowing  is  the  cutting  the  stalks  at  an 
early  period  and  throwing  them  lengthwise  in  the  wa- 
ter furrow  in  such  a  manner  that  the  tops  will  cover 
the  butts  of  the  stalks.  They  will  remain  in  this  con- 
dition three  weeks  or  a  month  without  souring,  and 
secure  from  frost.  When  the  proper  time  arrives, 
they  are  taken  up,  trimmed  and  carted  to  the  sugar- 
house. 

In  the  month  of  January  the  slaves  enter  the  field 
again  to  prepare  for  another  crop.  The  ground  is 
now  strewn  with  the  tops,  and  flags  cut  from  the  past 
year's  cane.  On  a  dry  day  fire  is  set  to  this  combus- 
tible refuse,  which  sweeps  over  the  field,  leaving  it 
bare  and  clean,  and  ready  for  the  hoes.  The  earth  is 
loosened  about  the  roots  of  the  old  stubble,  and  in 
process  of  time  another  crop  springs  up  from  the  last 


hawkins'  sugak  mill.  211 

year's  seed.  It  is  the  same  the  year  following ;  but 
the  third  year  the  seed  has  exhausted  its  strength, 
and  the  field  must  be  ploughed  and  planted  again. 
The  second  year  the  cane  is  sweeter  and  yields  more 
than  the  first,  and  the  third  year  more  than  the  second. 

During  the  three  seasons  I  labored  on  Hawkins' 
plantation,  I  was  employed  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  time  in  the  sugar-house.  He  is  celebrated  as  the 
producer  of  the  finest  variety  of  white  sugar.  The 
following  is  a  general  description  of  his  sugar-house 
and  the  process  of  manufacture : 

The  mill  is  an  immense  brick  building,  standing  on 
the  shore  of  the  bayou.  Running  out  from  the  build- 
ing is  an  open  shed,  at  least  an  hundred  feet  in  length 
and  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  width.  The  boiler  in  which 
the  steam  is  generated  is  situated  outside  the  main 
building ;  the  machinery  and  engine  rest  on  a  brick 
pier,  fifteen  feet  above  the  floor,  within  the  body  of  the 
building.  The  machinery  turns  two  great  iron  rollers, 
between  two  and  three  feet  in  diameter  and  six  or 
eight  feet  in  length.  They  are  elevated  above  the 
brick  pier,  and  roll  in  towards  each  other.  An  end- 
less carrier,  made  of  chain  and  wood,  like  leathern 
belts  used  in  small  mills,  extends  from  the  iron  rollers 
out  of  the  main  building  and  through  the  entire 
length  of  the  open  shed.  The  carts  in  which  the  cane 
is  brought  from  the  field  as  fast  as  it  is  cut,  are  un- 
loaded at  the  sides  of  the  shed.  All  along  the  endless 
carrier  are  ranged  slave  children,  whose  business  it  is 
to  place  the  cane  upon  it,  when  it  is  conveyed  through 


212  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

the  shed  into  the  main  building,  where  it  falls  be- 
tween the  rollers,  is  crushed,  and  drops  upon  another 
carrier  that  conveys  it  out  of  the  main  building  in  an 
opposite  direction,  depositing  it  in  the  top  of  a  chim- 
ney upon  a  fire  beneath,  which  consumes  it.  It  is  ne- 
cessary to  burn  it  in  this  manner,  because  otherwise 
it  would  soon  fill  the  building,  and  more  especially 
because  it  would  soon  sour  and  engender  disease. 
The  juice  of  the  cane  falls  into  a  conductor  underneath 
the  iron  rollers,  and  is  carried  into  a  reservoir.  Pipes 
convey  it  from  thence  into  five  filterers,  holding  sev- 
eral hogsheads  each.  These  filterers  are  filled  with 
bone-black,  a  substance  resembling  pulverized  char- 
coal. It  is  made  of  bones  calcinated  in  close  vessels, 
and  is  used  for  the  purpose  of  decolorizing,  by  filtra- 
tion, the  cane  juice  before  boiling.  Through  these 
five  filterers  it  passes  in  succession,  and  then  runs  into 
a  large  reservoir  underneath  the  ground  floor,  from 
whence  it  is  carried  up,  by  means  of  a  steam  pump, 
into  a  clarifier  made  of  sheet  iron,  where  it  is  heated 
by  steam  until  it  boils.  From  the  first  clarifier  it  is 
carried  in  pipes  to  a  second  and  a  third,  and  thence 
into  close  iron  pans,  through  which  tubes  pass,  filled 
with  steam.  While  in  a  boiling  state  it  flows  through 
three  pans  in  succession,  and  is  then  carried  in  other 
pipes  down  to  the  coolers  on  the  ground  floor.  Cool- 
ers are  wooden  boxes  with  sieve  bottoms  made  of  the 
finest  wire.  As  soon  as  the  syrup  passes  into  the 
coolers,  and  is  met  by  the  air,  it  grains,  and  the  mo- 
lasses at  once  escapes  through  the  sieves  into  a  cistern 


CHRISTMAS   HOLIDAYS.  213 

"below.  It  is  then  white  or  loaf  sugar  of  the  finest 
kind  —  clear,  clean,  and  as  white  as  snow.  "When 
cool,  it  is  taken  out,  packed  in  hogsheads,  and  is  ready 
for  market.  The  molasses  is  then  carried  from  the 
cistern  into  the  upper  story  again,  and  by  another 
process  converted  into  brown  sugar. 

There  are  larger  mills,  and  those  constructed  differ- 
ently from  the  one  thus  imperfectly  described,  but 
none,  perhaps,  more  celebrated  than  this  anywhere 
on  Bayou  Bceuf.  Lambert,  of  New-Orleans,  is  a  part- 
ner of  Hawkins.  He  is  a  man  of  vast  wealth,  hold- 
ing, as  I  have  been  told,  an  interest  in  over  forty  dif- 
ferent sugar  plantations  in  Louisiana. 

******** 

_  The  only  respite  from  constant  labor  the  slave  has  • 
through  the  whole  year,  is  during  the  Christmas  holi- 
days. Epps  allowed  us  three  —  others  allow  four, 
five  and  sis  days,  according  to  the  measure  of  their 
generosity.  It  is  the  only  time  to  which  they  look 
forward  with  any  interest  or  pleasure. _.  They  are  glad 
when  night  comes,  not  only  because  it  brings  them  a 
few  hours  repose,  but  because  it  brings  them  one  day 
nearer  Christmas.  It  is  hailed  with  eqnal  delight  by 
the  old  and  the  young  ;  even  Uncle  Abram  ceases  to 
glorify  Andrew  Jackson,  and  Patsey  forgets  her  many 
sorrows,  amid  the  general  hilarity  of  the  holidays.  It 
is  the  time  of  feasting,  and  frolicking,  and  fiddling  — ■ 
the  carnival  season  with  the  children  of  bondage. 
They  are  the  only  days  when  they  are  allowed  a  little 
restricted  liberty,  and  heartily  indeed  do  they  enjoy  it. 


214  TWELVE  TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

It  is  the  custom  for  one  planter  to  give  a  "  Christ- 
mas supper,"  inviting  the  slaves  from  neighboring 
plantations  to  join  his  own  on  the  occasion;  for  in- 
stance, one  year  it  is  given  by  Epps,  the  next  by  Mar- 
shall, the  next  by  Hawkins,  and  so  on.  Usually  from 
three  to  five  hundred  are  assembled,  coming  togethei 
on  foot,  in  carts,  on  horseback,  on  mules,  riding  double 
and  triple,  sometimes  a  boy  and  girl,  at  others  a  girl 
and  two  boys,  and  at  others  again  a  boy,  a  girl  and 
am  old  woman.  Uncle  Abram  astride  a  mule,  with 
AuntPhebe  and  Patsey  behind  him,  trotting  towards 
a  Christmas  supper,  would  be  no  uncommon  sight  on 
Bayou  Boeuf. 

Then,  too,  "  of  all  days  i'  the  year,"  they  array 
themselves  in  their  best  attire.  The  cotton  coat  has 
been  washed  clean,  the  stump  of  a  tallow  candle  has 
been  applied  to  the  shoes,  and  if  so  fortunate  as  to  pos- 
sess a  rimless  or  a  crownless  hat,  it  is  placed  jauntily 
on  the  head.  They  are  welcomed  with  equal  cordial- 
ity, however,  if  they  come  bare-headed  and  bare- 
footed to  the  feast.  As  a  general  thing,  the  women 
wear  handkerchiefs  tied  about  their  heads,  but  if 
chance  has  thrown  in  their  way  a  fiery  red  ribbon, 
or  a  cast-off  bonnet  of  their  mistress'  grandmother,  it 
is  sure  to  be  worn  on  such  occasions.  Red  —  the  deep 
blood  red — as  decidedly  the  favorite  color  among  the 
enslaved  damsels  of  my  acquaintance.  If  a  red  rib- 
bon does  not  encircle  the  neck,  you  will  be  certain  to 
find  all  the  hair  of  their  woolly  heads  tied  up  with  red 
strings  of  one  sort  or  another. 


THE   CHRISTMAS   SUPPER.  215 

The  table  is  spread  in  the  open  air,  and  loaded  with 
varieties  of  meat  and  piles  of  vegetables.  Bacon  and 
corn  meal  at  such  times  are  dispensed  with.  Some- 
times the  cooking  is  performed  in  the  kitchen  on  the 
plantation,  at  others  in  the  shade  of  wide  branching 
trees.  In  the  latter  case,  a  ditch  is  dug  in  the  ground, 
and  wood  laid  in  and  burned  until  it  is  filled  with 
glowing  coals,  over  which  chickens',  ducks,  turkeys, 
pigs,  and  not  unfrequently  the  entire  body  of  a  wild 
ox,  are  roasted.  They  are  furnished  also  with  flour, 
of  which  biscuits  are  made,  and  often  with  peach  and 
other  preserves,  with  tarts,  and  every  manner  and  de- 
scription of  pies,  except  the  mince,  that  being  an  ar- 
ticle of  pastry  as  yet  unknown  among  them.  Only 
the  slave  who  has  lived  all  the  years  on  his  scanty  al- 
lowance of  meal  and  bacon,  can  appreciate  such  sup- 
pers. "White  people  in  great  numbers  assemble  to 
witness  the  gastronomical  enjoyments. 

They  seat  themselves  at  the  rustic  table — the  males 
on  one  side,  the  females  on  the  other.  The  two  be- 
tween whom  there  may  have  been  an  exchange  of 
tenderness,  invariably  manage  to  sit  opposite ;  for  the 
omnipresent  Cupid  disdains  not  to  hurl  his  arrows  into 
the  simple  hearts  of  slaves./  Unalloyed  and  exulting 
happiness  lights  up  the  dark  faces  of  them  all.  'The 
ivory  teeth,  contrasting  with  their  black  complexions, 
exhibit  two  long,  white  streaks  the  whole  extent  of 
the  table.  All  round  the  bountiful  board  a  multitude 
of  eyes  roll  in  ecstacy.  Giggling  and  laughter  and 
the  clattering  of  cutlery  and  crockery  succeed.     Cuf- 


216  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

fee's  elbow  hunches  liis  neighbor's  side,  impelled  by 
an  involuntary  impulse  of  delight ;  Kelly  shakes  her 
finger  at  Sambo  and  laughs,  she  knows  not  why,  and 
so  the  fun  and  merriment  flows  on. 

"When  the  viands  have  disappeared,  ^nd  the  hungry 
maws  of  the  children  of  toil  are  satisfied,  then,  next 
in  the  order  of  amusement,  is  the  Christmas  dance. 
My  business  on  these  gala  days  always  was  to  play  on 
the  violin.  The  African  race  is  a  music-loving  one, 
proverbially ;  and  many  there  were  among  my  fellow- 
bondsmen  whose  organs  of  tune  were  strikingly  devel- 
oped, and  who  could  thumb  the  banjo  with  dexterity  ; 
but  at  the  expense  of  appearing  egotistical,  I  must, 
nevertheless,  declare,  that  I  was  considered  the  Ole 
Bull  of  Bayou  Bceuf.  My  master  often  received  let- 
ters, sometimes  from  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  request- 
ing him  to  send  me  to  play  at  a  ball  or  festival  of  the 
whites.  He  received  his  compensation,  and  usually  I 
also  returned  with  many  picayunes  jingling  in  my 
pockets  —  the  extra  contributions  of  those  to  whose 
delight  I  had  administered.  In  this  manner  I  became 
more  acquainted  than  I  otherwise  would,  up  and  down 
the  bayou.  The  young  men  and  maidens  of  Holmes- 
ville  always  knew  there  was  to  be  a  jollification  some- 
where, whenever  Piatt  Epps  was  seen  passing  through 
the  town  with  his  fiddle  in  his  hand.  "  "Where  are 
you  going  now,  Piatt  ?"  and  "  What  is  coming  off  to- 
night, Piatt  ?"  would  be  interrogatories  issuing  from 
every  door  and  window,  and  many  a  time  when  there 
was  no  special  hurry,  yielding  to  pressing  importuni- 


THE   VIOLIN.  217 

tics,  Piatt  would  draw  his  bow,  and  sitting  astride 
his  mule,  perhaps,  discourse  musically  to  a  crowd 
of  delighted  children,  gathered  around  him  in  the 
street. 

Alas !  had  it  not  been  for  my  beloved  violin,  I  scarce- 
ly can  conceive  how  I  could  have  endured  the  long 
years  of  bondage.  It  introduced  me  to  great  houses 
— relieved  me  of  many  days'  labor  in  the  field  —  sup- 
plied me  with  conveniences  for  my  cabin  —  with 
pipes  and  tobacco,  and  extra  pairs  of  shoes,  and  often- 
times led  me  away  from  the  presence  of  a  hard  mas- 
ter, to  witness  scenes  of  jollity  and  mirth.  It  was 
my  companion  —  the  friend  of  my  bosom — triumph- 
ing loudly  when  I  was  joyful,  and  uttering  its  soft, 
melodious  consolations  when  I  was  sad.  Often,  at 
midnight,  when  sleep  had  fled  affrighted  from  the 
cabin,  and  my  soul  was  disturbed  and  troubled  with 
the  contemplation  of  my  fate,  it  would  sing  me  a  song 
of  peace.  On  holy  Sabbath  days,  when  an  hour  or 
two  of  leisure  was  allowed,  it  would  accompany  me 
to  some  quiet  place  on  the  bayou  bank,  and,  lifting 
up  its  voice,  discourse  kindly  and  pleasantly  indeed. 
It  heralded  my  name  round  the  country  —  made  me 
friends,  who,  otherwise  would  not  have  noticed  me  — 
gave  me  an  honored  seat  at  the  yearly  feasts,  and  se- 
cured the  loudest  and  heartiest  welcome  of  them  all 
at  the  Christmas  dance.  The  Christinas  dance  !  Oh, 
ye  pleasure-seeking  sons  and  daughters  of  idleness, 
who  move  with  measured  step,  listless  and  snail-like, 
through  the  slow-winding  cotillon,  if  ye  wish  to  look 


218  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLATE. 

upon  the  celerity,  if  not  the  "  poetry  of  motion"  — 
upon  genuine  happiness,  rampant  and  unrestrained  — 
go  down  to  Louisiana,  and  see  the  slaves  dancing  in 
the  starlight  of  a  Christmas  night. 

On  that  particular  Christmas  I  have  now  in  my 
mind,  a  description  whereof  will  serve  as  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  day  generally,  Miss  Lively  and  Mr.  Sam, 
the  first  belonging  to  Stewart,  the  latter  to  Roberts, 
started  the  ball.  It  was  well  known  that  Sam  cher- 
ished an  ardent  passion  for  Lively,  as  also  did  one  of 
Marshall's  and  another  of  Carey's  boys ;  for  Lively 
was  lively  indeed,  and  a  heart-breaking  coquette  with- 
al. It  was  a  victory  for  Sam  Roberts,  when,  rising 
from  the  repast,  she  gave  him  her  hand  for  the  f  rat 
"  figu'  e"  in  preference  to  either  of  his  rivals.  T'ley 
were  somewhat  crest-fallen,  and,  shaking  their  h  ,ads 
angrily,  rather  intimated  they  would  like  to  pitcl  into 
Mr.  Sam  and  hurt  him  badly.  But  not  an  emotion 
of  wrath  ruffled  the  placid  bosom  of  Samuel,  as  his 
legs  flew  like  drum-sticks  down  the  outside  and  up 
the  middle,  by  the  side  of  his  bewitching  partner. 
The  whole  company  cheered  them  vociferously,  and, 
excited  with  the  applause,  they  continued  "  tearing 
down"  after  all  the  others  had  become  exhausted  and 
halted  a  moment  to  recover  breath.  But  Sam's  su- 
perhuman exertions  overcame  him  finally,  leaving 
Lively  alone,  yet  whirling  like  a  top.  Thereupon  one 
of  Sam's  rivals,  Pete  Marshall,  dashed  in,  and,  with 
might  and  main,  leaped  and  shuffled  and  threw  him- 
self into  every  conceivable  shape,  as  if  determined  to 


SOUTHERN  LIFE   AS  IT  18.  219 

show  Miss  Lively  and  all  the  world  that  Sam  Roberts 
was  of  no  account. 

Pete's  affection,  however,  was  greater  than  his  dis- 
cretion. Such  violent  exercise  took  the  breath  out  of 
him  directly,  and  he  dropped  like  an  empty  bag. 
Then  was  the  time  for  Harry  Carey  to  try  his  hand  ; 
but  Lively  also  soon  out- winded  him,  amidst  hurrahs 
and  shouts,  fully  sustaining  her  well-earned  reputation 
of  being  the  "  fastest  gal"  on  the  bayou. 

One  "  set"  off,  another  takes  its  place,  he  or  she  re- 
maining longest  on  the  floor  receiving  the  most  up- 
roarious commendation,  and  so  the  dancing  continues 
until  broad  daylight.  It  does  not  cease  with  the 
sound  of  the  fiddle,  but  in  that  case  they  set  up  a  mu- 
sic peculiar  to  themselves.  This  is  called  "  patting," 
accompanied  with  one  of  those  unmeaning  songs, 
composed  rather  for  its  adaptation  to  a  certain  tune 
or  measure,  than  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  any 
distinct  idea.  The  patting  is  performed  by  striking 
the  hands  on  the  knees,  then  striking  the  hands  to- 
gether, then  striking  the  right  shoulder  with  one 
hand,  the  left  with  the  other  —  all  the  while  keeping 
time  with  the  feet,  and  singing,  perhaps,  this  song : 

"  Harper's  creek  and  roarin'  ribber, 
Thar,  my  dear,  we'll  live  forebber ; 
Den  we'll  go  to  de  Ingin  nation, 
All  I  want  in  dis  creation, 
Is  pretty  little  wife  and  big  plantation. 

Chorus,     Up  dat  oak  and  down  dat  ribber, 

Two  overseers  and  one  little  nigger  " 


220  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLATE. 

Or,  if  these  words  are  not  adapted  to  the  tune  called 
for,  it  may  be  that  "  Old  Hog  Eye"  is — a  rather  sol- 
emn and  startling  specimen  of  versification,  not,  how- 
ever, to  be  appreciated  unless  heard  at  the  South.  It 
runneth  as  follows : 

"  Who's  been  here  since  I've  been  gone  1 
Pretty  little  gal  wid  a  josey  on. 

Hog  Eye ! 
Old  Hog  Eye, 
And  Hosey  too ! 

Never  see  de  like  since  I  was  born, 
Here  come  a  little  gal  wid  a  josey  on. 

Hog  Eye ! 
Old  Hog  Eye ! 
And  Hosey  too !" 

Or,  may  be  the  following,  perhaps,  equally  nonsen- 
sical, but  full  of  melody,  nevertheless,  as  it  flows 
from  the  negro's  mouth  : 

"  Ebo  Dick  and  Jurdan's  Jo, 
Them  two  niggers  stole  my  yo'. 

Chorus.     Hop  Jim  along, 
Walk  Jim  along, 
Talk  Jim  along,"  &c. 

Old  black  Dan,  as  black  as  tar, 
He  dam  glad  he  was  not  dar. 

Hop  Jim  along,"  &c. 

During  the  remaining  holidays  succeeding  Christ- 
mas, they  are  provided  with  passes,  and  permitted  to 
go  where  they  please  within  a  limited  distance,  or 
they  may  remain  and  labor  on   the   plantation,  in 


THREE  DAYS  IN  THE  YEAS.  221 

which  case  they  are  paid  for  it.  It  is  very  rarely, 
however,  that  the  latter  alternative  is  accepted. 
They  may  be  seen  at  these  times  hurrying  in  all  di- 
rections, as  happy  looking  mortals  as  can  be  found 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  They  are  different  beings 
from  what  they  are  in  the  field ;  the  temporary  re- 
laxation, the  brief  deliverance  from  fear,  and  from 
the  lash,  producing  an  entire  metamorphosis  in  their 
appearance  and  demeanor.  In  visiting,  riding,  renew- 
ing old  friendships,  or,  perchance,  reviving  some  old 
attachment,  or  pursuing  whatever  pleasure  may  sug- 
gest itself,  the  time  is  occupied.  Such  is  "  southern 
life  as  it  is,"  three  days  in  the  year,  as  I  found  it  — ■ 
the  other  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  being  days 
of  weariness,  and  fear,  and  suffering,  and  unremit- 
ting labor. 

(^Marriage  is  frequently  contracted  during  the  holi- 
days, if  such  an  institution  may  be  said  to  exist 
among  them.  The  only  ceremony  required  before 
entering  into  that  "  holy  estate,"  is  to  obtain  the  con- 
sent of  the  respective  owners.  It  is  usually  encour- 
aged by  the  masters  of  female  slaves.  Either  party 
can  have  as  many  husbands  or  wives  as  the  owner 
will  permit,  and  either  is  at  liberty  to  discard  the 
other  at  pleasure.  The  law  in  relation  to  divorce,  or 
to  bigamy,  and  so  forth,  is  not  applicable  to  property, 
of  course.  If  the  wife  does  not  belong  on  the  same 
plantation  with  the  husband,  the  latter  is  permitted 
to  visit  her  on  Saturday  nights,  if  the  distance  is  not 
too  far.     Uncle  Abram's  wife  lived  seven  miles  from 


222  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

Epps',  on  Bayou  Huff  Power.  He  had  permission  to 
visit  her  once  a  fortnight,  but  he  was  growing  old,  as 
has  been  said,  and  truth  to  say,  had  latterly  well  nigh 
forgotten  her.  Uncle  Abram  had  no  time  to  spare 
from  his  meditations  on  General  Jackson  —  connubial 
dalliance  being  well  enough  for  the  young  and 
thoughtless,  but  unbecoming  a  grave  and  solemn  phi- 
losopher like  himself. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

OVERSEERS HOW  THEY  ARE  ARMED  AND  ACCOMPANIED THE   HOMICIDE  — 

HIS    EXECUTION    AT    MARKS  VILLE SLAVE-DRIVERS APPOINTED    DRIVER 

ON     REMOVING  TO    BAYOU   BCEUF PRACTICE  MAKES  PERFECT EPPS'   AT- 
TEMPT  TO     CUT   PLAIT'S    THROAT THE    ESCAPB   FROM    HTM PROTECTED 

BY   THE  MISTRESS FORBIDS   READING   AND  WRITING OBTAIN    A    SHEET 

OF  PAPER     AFTER    NINE    YEARS'    EFFORT THE    LETTER ARMSBY,     THE 

MEAN    WHITE PARTIALLY    CONFIDE   IN    HIM HIS     TREACHERY EPPs' 

SUSPICIONS HOW  THEY  WERE  QUIETED BURNING  THE  LETTER ARMS- 
BY  LEAVES    THE    BAYOU DISAPPOINTMENT   AND    DESPAIR. 

With  the  exception  of  my  trip  to  St.  Mary's  parish, 
and  my  absence  during  the  cane-cutting  seasons,  I 
was  constantly  employed  on  the  plantation  of  Master 
Epps.  He  was  considered  but  a  small  planter,  not 
having  a  sufficient  number  of  hands  to  require  the 
services  of  an  overseer,  acting  in  the  latter  capacity 
himself.  Not  able  to  increase  his  force,  it  was  his 
custom  to  hire  during  the  hurry  of  cotton-picking. 

On  larger  estates,  employing  fifty  or  a  hundred,  or 
perhaps  two  hundred  hands,  an  overseer  is  deemed 
indispensable.  These  gentlemen  ride  into  the  field 
on  horseback,  without  an  exception,to  my  knowledge, 
armed  with  pistols,  bowie  knife,  whip,  and  accompa- 
nied by  several  dogs.  They  follow,  equipped  in  this 
fashion,  in  rear  of  the  slaves,  keeping  a  sharp  lookout 


224  TWELVE   YEARS    A   SLAVE. 

upon  tliem  all.  The  requisite  qualifications  JXL_an_ 
overseer  are  utter  heartlessness,  brutality  and  cruelty.. 
It  is  liis  business  to  produce  large  crops,  and  if  that  is 
accomplished,  no  matter  what  amount  of  suffering  it 
may  have  cost.  The  presence  of  the  dogs  are  neces- 
sary to  overhaul  a  fugitive  who  may  take  to  his  heels, 
as  is  sometimes  the  case,  when  faint  or  sick,  he  is  un- 
able to  maintin  his  row,  and  unable,  also,  to  en- 
dure the  whip.  The  pistols  are  reserved  for  any  dan- 
gerous emergency,  there  having  been  instances  when 
such  weapons  were  necessary.  Goaded  into  uncon- 
trollable madness,  even  the  slave  will  sometimes  turn 
upon  his  oppressor.  The  gallows  were  standing  at 
Marksville  last  January,  upon  which  one  was  execu- 
ted a  year  ago  for  killing  his  overseer.  It  occurred 
not  many  miles  from  Epps'  plantation  on  Red  River. 
The  slave  was  given  his  task  at  splitting  rails.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  the  overseer  sent  him  on  an 
errand,  which  occupied  so  much  time  that  it  was  not 
possible  for  him  to  perform  the  task.  The  next  day 
lie  was  called  to  an  account,  but  the  loss  of  time  oc- 
casioned by  the  errand  was  no  excuse,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  kneel  and  bare  his  back  for  the  reception 
of  the  lash.  They  were  in  the  woods  alone  —  beyond 
the  reach  of  sight  or  hearing.  The  boy  submitted 
until  maddened  at  such  injustice,  and  insane  with 
pain,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  seizing  an  axe,  liter- 
ally chopped  the  overseer  in  pieces.  He  made  no  at- 
tempt whatever  at  concealment,  but  hastening  to  his 
master,  related  the  whole  affair,  and  declared  himself 


SLAVE   DRIVERS.  225 

ready  to  expiate  the  wrong  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  life. 
He  was  led  to  the  scaffold,  and  while  the  rope  was 
around  his  neck,  maintained  an  undismayed  and 
fearless  bearing,  and  with  his  last  words  justified  the 
act. 

Besides  the  overseer,  there  are  drivers  tinder  him, 
the  number  being  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
hands  in  the  field.  The  drivers  are  black,  who,  in 
addition  to  the  performance  of  their  equal  share  of 
work,  are  compelled  to  do  the  whipping  of  .....their 
severalgangs.  Whips  hang  around  their  necks,  and 
if  they  fail  to  use  them^thoroughly,  are  whipped 
themselves.  They  have  a  few  privileges,  however ; 
for  example,  in  cane-cutting  the  hands  are  not  allow- 
ed to  sit  down  long  enough  to  eat  their  dinners.  Carts 
filled  with  corn  cake,  cooked  at  the  kitchen,  are  driv- 
en into  the  field  at  noon.  The  cake  is  distributed  by 
the  drivers,  and  must  be  eaten  with  the  least  possible 
delay. 

When  the  slave  ceases  to  perspire,  as  he  often  does 
when  taxed  beyond  his  strength,  he  falls  to  the  ground 
and  becomes  entirely  helpless.  It  is  then  the  duty 
of  the  driver  to  drag  him  into  the  shade  of  the  stand- 
ing cotton  or  cane,  or  of  a  neighboring  tree,  where 
he  dashes  buckets  of  water  upon  him,  and  uses  other 
means  of  bringing  out  perspiration  again,  when  he  is 
ordered  to  his  place,  and  compelled  to  continue  his 
labor. 

At  Huff  Power,  when  I  first  came  to  Epps',  Tom, 
one  of  Roberts'  negroes,  was  driver.  He  was  a  burly 
J* 


226  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

fellow,  and  severe  in  the  extreme.  After  Epps'  re- 
moval to  Bayou  Boeuf,  that  distinguished  honor  was 
conferred  upon  myself.  Up  to  the  tune  of  my  de- 
parture I  had  to  wear  a  whip  about  my  neck  in  the 
field.  If  Epps  was  present,  I  dared  not  show  any 
lenity,  not  having  the  Christian  fortitude  of  a  certain 
well-known  Uncle  Tom  sufficiently  to  brave  his  wrath, 
by  refusing  to  perform  the  office.  In  that  way,  only, 
I  escaped  the  immediate  martyrdom  he  suffered,  and, 
withal,  saved  my  companions  much  suffering,  as  it 
proved  in  the  end.  Epps,  I  soon  found,  whether 
actually  in  the  field  or  not,  had  his  eyes  pretty  gen- 
erally upon  us.  From  the  piazza,  from  behind  some 
adjacent  tree,  or  other  concealed  point  of  observation, 
he  was  perpetually  on  the  watch.  If  one  of  us  had 
been  backward  or  idle  through  the  day,  we  were  apt 
to  be  told  all  about  it  on  returning  to  the  quarters, 
and  as  it  was  a  matter  of  principle  with  him.  to  re- 
prove every  offence  of  that  kind  that  came  within  his 
knowledge,  the  offender  not  only  was  certain  of  re- 
ceiving a  castigation  for  his  tardiness,  but  I  likewise 
was  punished  for  permitting  it. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  had  seen  me  use  the  lash 
freely,  the  man  was  satisfied.  "  Practice  makes  per- 
fect," truly  ;  and  during  my  eight  years'  experience 
as  a  driver,  I  learned  to  handle  the  whip  with  mar- 
velous dexterity  and  precision,  throwing  the  lash 
■within  a  hair's  breadth  of  the  back,  the  ear,  the  nose, 
without,  however,  touching  either  of  them.  If  Epps 
was  observed  at  a  distance,  or  we  had  reason  to  ap- 


APPOINTED   DRIVER.  ,  227 

prehend  lie  was  sneaking  somewhere  in  the  vicinity, 
I  would  commence  plying  the  lash  vigorously,  when, 
according  to  arrangement,  they  would  squirm  and 
screech  as  if  in  agony,  although  not  one  of  them  had 
in  fact  been  even  grazed.  Patsey  would  take  occa- 
sion, if  he  made  his  appearance  presently,  to  mumble 
in  his  hearing  some  complaints  that  Piatt  was  lash- 
ing them  the  whole  time,  and  Uncle  Abram,  with  an 
appearance  of  honesty  peculiar  to  himself,  would  de- 
clare roundly  I  had  just  whipped  them  worse  than 
General  Jackson  whipped  the  enemy  at  New-Orleans, 
If  Epps  was  not  drunk,  and  in  one  of  his  beastly  hu- 
mors, this  was,  in  general,  satisfactory.  If  he  was, 
some  one  or  more  of  us  must  suffer,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  Sometimes  his  violence  assumed  a  dangerous 
form,  placing  the  lives  of  his  human  stock  in  jeop- 
ardy. On  one  occasion  the  drunken  madman  thought 
to  amuse  himself  by  cutting  my  throat. 

He  had  been  absent  at  Holmesville,  in  attendance  at 
a  shooting-match,  and  none  of  us  were  aware  of  his 
return.     While  hoeing  by  the  side  of  Patsey,  she  ex- 1 
claimed,  in  a  low  voice,  suddenly,  "  Piatt,  d'ye  see 
old  Hog-Jaw  beckoning  me  to  come  to  him  ?" 

Glancing  sideways,  I  discovered  him  in  the  edge 
of  the  field,  motioning  and  grimacing,  as  was  his  habit 
when  half-intoxicated.  Aware  of  his  lewd  intentions, 
Patsey  began  to  cry.  I  whispered  her  not  to  look  up, 
and  to  continue  at  her  work,  as  if  she  had  not  ob- 
served him.  Suspecting  the  truth  of  the  matter, 
however,  he  soon  staggered  up  to  me  in  a  gr8at  rage. 


228  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

"  What  did  you  say  to  Pats  ?•"  he  demanded,  with 
an  oath.  I  made  him  some  evasive  ariswer,  which 
only  had  the  effect  of  increasing  his  violence. 

"  How  long  have  you  owned  this  plantation,  say, 

you  d d  nigger  ?"  he  inquired,  with  a  malicious 

sneer,  at  the  same  time  taking  hold  of  my  shirt  col- 
Jar  with  one  hand,  and  thrusting  the  other  into  his 
pocket.  "  ]STow  I'll  cut  your  black  throat ;  that's 
what  I'll  do,"  drawing  his  knife  from  his  pocket  as 
he  said  it.  But  with  one  hand  he  was  unable  to 
open  it,  until  finally  seizing  the  blade  in  his  teeth,  I 
saw  he  was  about  to  succeed,  and  felt  the  necessity 
of  escaping  from  him,  for  in  his  present  reckless  state, 
it  was  evident  he  was  not  joking,  by  any  means.  My 
shirt  was  open  in  front,  and  as  I  turned  round  quickly 
and  sprang  from  him,  while  he  still  retained  his  gripe, 
it  was  stripped  entirely  from  my  back.  There  was 
no  difiiculty  now  in  eluding  him.  He  would  chase 
me  until  out  of  breath,  then  stop  until  it  was  recov- 
ered, swear,  and  renew  the  chase  again.  ISTow  he 
would  command  me  to  come  to  him,  now  endeavor 
to  coax  me,  but  I  was  careful  to  keep  at  a  respectful] 
distance.  In  this  manner  we  made  the  circuit  of  the 
field  several  times,  he  making  desperate  plunges,  and 
I  always  dodging  them,  more  amused  than  frightened, 
well  knowing  that  when  his  sober  senses  returned, 
he  would  laugh  at  his  own  drunken  folly.  At  length 
I  observed  the  mistress  standing  by  the  yard  fence, 
watching  our  half-serious,  half-comical  manoeuvres. 
Shooting  past  him,  I  ran  directly  to  her.     Epps,  on 


PROTECTED   BY   THE    MISTRESS.  229 

discovering  her,  did  not  follow.  He  remained  about, 
the  field  an  hour  or  more,  during  which  time  I  stood 
by  the  mistress,  having  related  the  particulars  of 
what  had  taken  place.  Now,  she  was  aroused  again, 
denouncing  her  husband  and  Patsey  about  equally. 
Finally,  Epps  came  towards  the  house,  by  this  time 
nearly  sober,  walking  demurely,  with  his  hands  be- 
hind his  back,  and  attempting  to  look  as  innocent  as 
a  child. 

As  he  approached,  nevertheless,  Mistress  Epps  be- 
gan to  berate  him  roundly,  heaping  upon  him  many 
rather  disrespectful  epithets,  and  demanding  for  what 
reason  he  had  attempted  to  cut  my  throat.  Epps 
made  wondrous  strange  of  it  all,  and  to  my  surprise, 
swore  by  all  the  saints  in  the  calendar  he  had  not 
spoken  to  me  that  day. 

"  Piatt,  you  lying  nigger,  have  I?"  was  his  brazen 
appeal  to  me. 

It  is  not  safe  to  contradict  a  master,  even  by  the 
assertion  of  a  truth.  So  I  was  silent,  and  when  he  en- 
tered the  house  I" returned  to  the  field,  and  the  affair 
was  never  after  alluded  to. 

Shortly  after  this  time  a  circumstance  occurred  that 
came  nigh  divulging  the  secret  of  my  real  name  and 
history,  which  I  had  so  long  and  carefully  concealed, 
and  upon  which  I  was  convinced  depended  my  final 
escape.  Soon  after  he  purchased  me,  Epps  asked 
me  if  I  could  write  and  read,  and  on  being  informed 
that  I  had  received  some  instruction  in  those  branches 
of  education,  he  assured  me,  with  emphasis,  if  he  ever 


230  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

caught  Hie  with  a  book,  or  with,  pen  and  ink,  he  would 
give  me  a  hundred  lashes.  He  said  he  wanted  me  to 
understand  that  he  bought  "  niggers"  to  work  and  not 
to  educate.  He  never  inquired  a  word  of  my  past 
life,  or  from  whence  I  came.  The  mistress,  however, 
cross-examined  me  frequently  about  Washington, 
which  she  supposed  was  my  native  city,  and  more 
than  once  remarked  that  I  did  not  talk  nor  act  like 
the  other  "  niggers,"  and  she  was  sure  I  had  seen  more 
of  the  world  than  I  admitted. 

My  great  object  always  was  to  invent  means  of  get- 
ting a  letter  secretly  into  the  post-office,  directed  to 
some  of  my  friends  or  family  at  the  North.  The  diffi- 
culty of  such  an  achievement  cannot  be  comprehend- 
ed by  one  unacquainted  with  the  severe  restrictions 
imposed  upon  me.  In  the  first  place,  I  was  deprived 
of  pen,  ink,  and  paper.  In  the  second  place,  a  slave 
cannot  leave  his  plantation  without  a  pass,  nor  will  a 
post-master  mail  a  letter  for  one  without  written  in- 
structions from  his  owner.  I  was  in  slavery  nine 
years,  and  always  watchful  and  on  the  alert,  before  I 
met  with  the  good  fortune  of  obtaining  a  sheet  of  pa- 
per. "While  Epps  was  in  New-Orleans,  one  winter, 
disposing  of  his  cotton,  the  mistress  sent  me  to  Holmes- 
ville,  with  an  order  for  several  articles,  and  among 
the  rest  a  quantity  of  foolscap.  I  appropriated  a  sheet, 
concealing  it  in  the  cabin,  under  the  board  on  which 
I  slept. 

After  various  experiments  I  succeeded  in  making 
ink,  by  boiling  white  maple  bark,  and  with  a  feather 


THE   LETTE2,  231 

* 

plucked  from  the  wing  of  a  duck,  manufactured  a 
pen.  "When  all  were  asleep  in  the  cabin,  by  the  light 
of  the  coals,  lying  upon  my  plank  couch,  I  managed 
to  complete  a  somewhat  lengthy  epistle.  It  was  di- 
rected to  an  old  acquaintance  at  Sandy  Hill,  stating 
my  condition,  and  urging  him  to  take  measures  to  re- 
store me  to  liberty.  This  letter  I  kept  a  long  time, 
contriving  measures  by  which  it  could  be  safely  de- 
posited in  the  post-office.  At  length,  a  low  fellow,  by 
the  name  of  Armsby,  hitherto  a  stranger,  came  into 
the  neighb orKoocITseeking  a  situation  as  overseer. 
He  applied  to  Epps,  and  was  about  the  plantation  for 
several  days.  He  next  went  over  to  Shaw's,  near  by, 
and  remained  with  him  several  weeks.  Shaw  was 
generally  surrounded  by  such  worthless  characters, 
being  himself  noted  as  a  gambler  and  unprincipled 
man.  He  had  made  a  wife  of  his  slave  Charlotte,  and 
a  brood  of  young  mulattoes  were  growing  up  in  his 
house.  Armsby  became  so  much  reduced  at  last, 
that  he  was  compelled  to  labor  with  the  slaves.  A 
white  man  working  in  the  field  is  a  rare  and  unusual 
spectacle  on  Bayou  Bceuf.  I  improved  every  oppor- 
tunity of  cultivating  his  acquaintance  privately,  de- 
siring to  obtain  his  confidence  so  far  as  to  be  willing 
to  intrust  the  letter  to  his  keeping.  He  visited  Marks- 
ville  repeatedly,  he  informed  me,  a  town  some  twenty 
miles  distant,  and  there,  I  proposed  to  myself,  the  let- 
ter should  be  mailed. 

Carefully  deliberating  on  the  most  proper  manner 
of  approaching  him  on  the  subject,  I  concluded  final- 


232  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

lj  to  ask  him  simply  if  he  would  deposit  a  letter  for 
me  in  the  Marksville  post-office  the  next  time  he  vis- 
ited that  place,  without  disclosing  to  him  that  the  let- 
ter was  written,  or  any  of  the  particulars  it  contained ; 
for  I  had  fears  that  he  might  betray  me,  and  knew 
that  some  inducement  must  be  held  out  to  him  of  a 
pecuniary  nature,  before  it  would  be  safe  to  confide 
in  him.  As  late  as  one  o'clock  one  night  I  stole  noise- 
lessly from  my  cabin,  and,  crossing  the  field  to  Shaw's, 
found  him  sleeping  on  the  piazza.  I  had  but  a  few 
picayunes  —  the  proceeds  of  my  fiddling  performan- 
ces, but  all  I  had  in  the  world  I  promised  him  if  he 
would  do  me  the  favor  required.  I  begged  him  not 
to  expose  me  if  he  could  not  grant  the  request.  He 
assured  me,  upon  his  honor,  he  would  deposit  it  in  the 
Marksville  post-office,  and  that  he  would  keep  it  an 
inviolable  secret  forever.  Though  the  letter  was  in 
my  pocket  at  the  time,  I  dared  not  then  deliver  it  to 
him,  but  stating  I  would  have  it  written  in  a  day  or 
two,  bade  him  good  night,  and  returned  to  my  cab- 
in. It  was  impossible  for  me  to  expel  the  suspicions 
I  entertained,  and  all  night  I  lay  awake,  revolving  in 
my  mind  the  safest  course  to  pursue.  I  was  willing 
to  risk  a  great  deal  to  accomplish  my  purpose,  but 
should  the  letter  by  any  means  fall  into  the  hands  of 
Epps,  it  would  be  a  death-blow  to  my  aspirations.  I 
was  "  perplexed  in  the  extreme." 

My  suspicions  were  well-founded,  as  the  sequel  de- 
monstrated. The  next  day  but  one,  while  scraping  cot- 
ton in  the  field,  Epps  seated  himself  on  the  line  fence 


epps'  SUSPICIONS.  233 

between  Shaw's  plantation  and  his  own,  in  snch  a  po- 
sition as  to  overlook  the  scene  of  our  labors.  Pres- 
ently Armsby  made  his  appearance,  and,  mounting 
the  fence,  took  a  seat  beside  him.  They  remained 
two  or  three  hours,  all  of  which  time  I  was  in  an  ag- 
ony of  apprehension. 

That  night,  while  broiling  my  bacon,  Epps  entered 
the  cabin  with  his  rawhide  in  his  hand. 

"  "Well,  boy,"  said  he,  "  I  understand  I've  got  a 
larned  nigger,  that  writes  letters,  and  tries  to  get 
white  fellows  to  mail  'em.  Wonder  if  you  know  who 
he  is  ?" 

My  worst  fears  were  realized,  and  although  it  may 
not  be  considered  entirely  creditable,  even  under  the 
circumstances,  yet  a  resort  to  duplicity  and  downright 
falsehood  was  the  only  refuge  that  presented  itself. 

"  Don't  know  nothing  about  it,  Master  Epps,"  I  an- 
swered him,  assuming  an  air  of  ignorance  and  sur- 
prise ;  "  Don't  know  nothing  at  all  about  it,  sir." 

"  "Wan't  you  over  to  Shaw's  night  before  last  ?"  he 
inquired. 

"  No,  master,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Hav'nt  you  asked  that  fellow,  Armsby,  to  mail  a 
letter  for  you  at  Marksville  ?" 

"  "Why,  Lord,  master,  I  never  spoke  three  words  to 
him  in  all  my  life.     I  don't  know  what  you  mean." 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  "  Armsby  told  me  to-day  the 
devil  was  among  my  niggers ;  that  I  had  one  that 
needed  close  watching  or  he  would  run  away ;  and 
when  I  axed  him  why,  he  said  you  come  over  to 


234  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

Shaw's,  and  waked  him  up  in  the  night,  and  wanted 
him  to  carry  a  letter  to  Marksville.  What  have  you 
got  to  say  to  that,  ha  ?" 

"  All  I've  got  to  say,  master,"  I  replied,  "  is,  there 
is  no  truth  in  it.  How  could  I  write  a  letter  without 
any  ink  or  paper  ?  There  is  nobody  I  want  to  write 
to,  'cause  I  haint  got  no  friends  living  as  I  know  of. 
That  Armsby  is  a  lying,  drunken  fellow,  they  say,  and 
nobody  believes  him  anyway.  Ton  know  I  always 
tell  the  truth,  and  that  I  never  go  off  the  plantation 
without  a  pass.  ]STow,  master,  I  can  see  what  that 
Armsby  is  after,  plain  enough.  Did'nt  he  want  you 
to  hire  him  for  an  overseer  ?" 

"  Yes,  he  wanted  me  to  hire  him,"  answered  Epps. 

"  That's  it,"  said  I,  "  he  wants  to  make  you  believe 
we're  all  going  to  run  away,  and  then  he  thinks  you'll 
hire  an  overseer  to  watch  us.  He  just  made  that  sto- 
ry out  of  whole  cloth,  'cause  he  wants  to  get  a  situa- 
tion.    It's  all  a  lie,  master,  you  may  depend  on't." 

Epps  mused  awhile,  evidently  impressed  with  the 
plausibility  of  my  theory,  and  exclaimed, 

"I'm  d — d,  Piatt,  if  I  don't  believe  you  tell  the 
truth.  He  must  take  me  for  a  soft,  to  think  he  can 
come  it  over  me  with  them  kind  of  yarns,  musn't  he  ? 
Maybe  he  thinks  he  can  fool  me ;  maybe  he  thinks 
I  don't  know  nothing— can't  take  care  of  my  own 
niggers,  eh !  Soft  soap  old  Epps,  eh  !  Ha,  ha,  ha  ! 
D — n  Arnisby!  Set  the  dogs  on  him,  Piatt,"  and 
with  many  other  comments  descriptive  of  Armsby's 
general  character,  and  his  capability  of  taking  care  of 


DISAPPOINTMENT   AND   DESPAIR.  235 

his  own  business,  and  attending  to  his  own  "  niggers," 
Master  Epps  left  the  cabin.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone 
I  threw  the  letter  in  the  fire,  and,  with  a  desponding 
and  despairing  heart,  beheld  the  epistle  which  had 
cost  me  so  much  anxiety  and  thought,  and  which  I 
fondly  hoped  would  have  been  my  forerunner  to  the 
land  of  freedom,  writhe  and  shrivel  on  its  bed  of  coals, 
and  dissolve  into  smoke  and  ashes.  Armsby,  the 
treacherous  wretch,  was  driven  from  Shaw's  planta- 
tion not  long  subsequently,  much  to  my  relief,  for  I 
feared  he  might  renew  his  conversation,  and  perhaps 
induce  Epps  to  credit  him. 

I  knew  not  now  whither  to  look  for  deliverance. 
Hopes  sprang  up  in  my  heart  only  to  be  crushed  and 
blighted.  The  summer  of  my  life  was  passing  away  ; 
I  felt  I  was  growing  prematurely  old ;  that  a  few 
years  more,  and  toil,  and  grief,  and  the  poisonous  mi- 
asmas of  the  swamps  would  accomplish  their  work 
upon  me  —  would  consign  me  to  the  grave's  embrace, 
to  moulder  and  be  forgotten.  Repelled,  betrayed,  cut 
off  from  the  hope  of  succor,  I  could  only  prostrate 
myself  upon  the  earth  and  groan  in  unutterable  an- 
guish. The  hope  of  rescue  was  the  only  light  that 
cast  a  ray  of  comfort  on  my  heart.  That  was  now 
nickering,  faint  and  low ;  another  breath  of  disap- 
pointment would  extinguish  it  altogether,  leaving  me 
to  grope  in  midnight  darkness  to  the  end  of  life. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

WILEY    DISREGARDS     THE    COUNSELS    OF   AUNT    PHEBE    AND     UNCLE   ABRAM, 

AND   IS    CAUGHT    BY    THE   PATROLLERS THE    ORGANIZATION    AND    DUTIES 

OF   THE    LATTER "WILEY    RUNS    AWAY SPECULATIONS    IN     REGARD    TO 

HIM HIS     UNEXPECTED     RETURN HIS     CAPTURE    ON    RED     RIVER,    AND 

CONFINEMENT    IN    ALEXANDRIA   JAIL DISCOVERED    BY    JOSEPH    B.    ROB- 
ERTS   SUBDUING    DOGS    IN    ANTICIPATION     OF   ESCAPE THE   FUGITIVES 

IN     THE     GREAT     PINE   WOODS CAPTURED    BY    ADAM    TAYDEM   AND    THE 

INDIANS AUGUSTUS  KILLED  BY  DOGS NELLY,  ELDRET's  SLAVE  WOMAN 

THE  STORY  OF  CELESTE THE  CONCERTED  MOVEMENT LEW  CHEENEY, 

THE    TRAITOR THE    IDEA    OF  INSURRECTION. 

The  year  1850,  down  to  which,  time  I  have  now  ar- 
rived, omitting  many  occurrences  uninteresting  to  the 
reader,  was  an  unlucky  year  for  my  companion  "Wiley, 
the  husband  of  Phebe,  whose  taciturn  and  retiring 
nature  has  thus  far  kept  him  in  the  background.  Not- 
withstanding Wiley  seldom  opened  his  mouth,  and 
revolved  in  his  obscure  and  unpretending  orbit  with- 
out a  grumble,  nevertheless  the  warm  elements  of  so- 
ciality were  strong  in  the  bosom  of  that  silent  "  nig- 
ger." In  the  exuberance  of  his  self-reliance,  disre- 
garding the  philosophy  of  Uncle  Abram,  and  setting 
the  counsels  of  Aunt  Phebe  utterly  at  naught,  he  had 
the  fool-hardiness  to  essay  a  nocturnal  visit  to  a  neigh- 
boring cabin  without  a  pass. 


WILETTS   INDISCRETION.  237 

So  attractive  was  "the  society  in  which  he  found 
himself,  that  "Wiley  took  little  note  of  the  passing 
hours,  and  the  light  began  to  break  in  the  east  before 
he  was  aware.  Speeding  homeward  as  fast  as  he 
could  run,  he  hoped  to  reach  the  quarters  before  the 
horn  would  sound  ;  but,  unhappily,  he  was  spied  on 
the  way  by  a  company  of  patrollers. 

How  it  is  in  other  dark  places  of  slavery,  I  do  not 
know,  but  on  Bayou  Boeuf  there  is  an  organization  of 
patrollers,  as  they  are  styled,  whose  business  it  is  to 
seize  and  whip  any  slave  they  may  find  wandering 
from  the  plantation.  They  ride  on  horseback,  headed 
by  a  captain,  armed,  and  accompanied  by  dogs.  They 
have  the  right,  either  by  law,  or  by  general  consent, 
to  inflict  discretionary  chastisement  upon  a  black  man 
caught  beyond  the  boundaries  of  his  master's  estate 
without  a  pass,  and  even  to  shoot  him,  if  he  attempts 
to  escape.  Each  company  has  a  certain  distance  to 
ride  up  and  down  the  bayou.  They  are  compensated 
by  the  planters,  who  contribute  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  slaves  they  own.  The  clatter  of  their  hor- 
ses' hoofs  dashing  by  can  be  heard  at  all  hours  of  the 
night,  and  frequently  they  may  be  seen  driving  a 
slave  before  them,  or  leading  him  by  a  rope  fastened 
around  his  neck,  to  his  owner's  plantation. 

"Wiley  fled  before  one  of  these  companies,  thinking 
he  could  reach  his  cabin  before  they  could  overtake 
him  ;  but  one  of  their  dogs,  a  great  ravenous  hound, 
griped  him  by  the  leg,  and  held  him  fast.  The  pa- 
trollers whipped  him  severely,  and  brought  him,  a 


238  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

prisoner,  to  Epps.  From  liim  lie  received  another 
flagellation  still  more  severe,  so  that  the  cuts  of  the 
lash  and  the  bites  of  the  dog  rendered  him  sore,  stiff 
and  miserable,  insomuch  he  was  scarcely  able  to  move. 
It  was  impossible  in  such  a  state  to  keep  up  his  row, 
and  consequently  there  was  not  an  hour  in  the  day 
but  "Wiley  felt  the  sting  of  his  master's  rawhide  on 
his  raw  and  bleeding  back.  His  sufferings  became 
intolerable,  and  finally  he  resolved  to  run  away. 
|  "Without  disclosing  his  intentions  to  run  away  even 
to  his  wife  Phebe,  he  proceeded  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  carrying  his  plan  into  execution.  Having 
cooked  his  whole  week's  allowance,  he  cautiously  left 
the  cabin  on  a  Sunday  night,  after  the  inmates  of  the 
quarters  were  asleep.  When  the  horn  sounded  in  the 
morning,  Wiley  did  not  make  his  appearance.  Search 
was  made  for  him  in  the  cabins,  in  the  corn-crib,  in 
the  cotton-house,  and  in  every  nook  and  corner  of  the 
premises.  Each  of  us  was  examined,  touching  any 
knowledge  we  might  have  that  could  throw  light  upon 
his  sudden  disappearance  or  present  whereabouts. 
Epps  raved  and  stormed,  and  mounting  his  horse,  gal- 
loped to  neighboring  plantations,  making  inquiries 
in  all  directions.  The  search  was  fruitless.  Nothing 
whatever  was  elicited,  going  to  show  what  had  be- 
come of  the  missing  man.  The  dogs  were  led  to  the 
swamp,  but  were  unable  to  strike  his  trail.  They 
would  circle  away  through  the  forest,  then*  noses  to 
the  ground,  but  invariably  returned  in  a  short  time 
to  the  spot  from  whence  they  started. 


wilet's  capture  on  red  river.  239 

Wiley  had  escaped,  and  so  secretly  and  cautiously 
as  to  elude  and  baffle  all  pursuit.  Days  and  even 
weeks  passed  away,  and  nothing  could  be  heard  of 
him.  Epps  did  nothing  but  curse  and  swear.  It  was 
the  only  topic  of  conversation  among  us  when  alone. 
We  indulged  in  a  great  deal  of  speculation  in  regard 
to  him,  one  suggesting  he  might  have  been  drowned 
in  some  bayou,  inasmuch  as  he  was  a  poor  swimmer ; 
another,  that  perhaps  he  might  have  been  devoured 
by  alligators,  or  stung  by  the  venomous  moccasin, 
whose  bite  is  certain  and  sudden  death.  The  warm 
and  hearty  sympathies  of  us  all,  however,  were 
with  poor  Wiley,  wherever  he  might  be.  Many  an 
earnest  prayer  ascended  from  the  lips  of  Uncle  Abram, 
beseeching  safety  for  the  wanderer. 

In  about  three  weeks,  when  all  hope  of  ever  seeing 
him  again  was  dismissed,  to  our  surprise,  he  one  day 
appeared  among  us.  On  leaving  the  plantation,  he 
informed  us,  it  was  his  intention  to  make  his  way 
back  to  South  Carolina  —  to  the  old  quarters  of  Mas- 
ter Buford.  During  the  day  he  remained  secreted, 
sometimes  in  the  branches  of  a  tree,  and  at  night 
pressed  forward  through  the  swamps.  Finally,  one 
morning,  just  at  dawn,  he  reached  the  shore  of  Red 
River.  While  standing  on  the  bank,  considering  how 
he  could  cross  it,  a  white  man  accosted  him,  and  de- 
manded a  pass.  Without  one,  and  evidently  a  runa- 
way, he  was  taken  to  Alexandria,  the  shire  town  of 
the  parish  of  Rapides,  and  confined  in  prison.  It 
happened  several  days  after  that  Joseph  B.  Roberts, 


240  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

uncle  of  Mistress  Epps,  was  in  Alexandria,  and  going 
into  the  jail,  recognized  him.  Wiley  had  worked  on 
his  plantation,  when  Epps  resided  at  Huff  Power. 
Paying  the  jail  fee,  and  writing  him  a  pass,  under- 
neath which  was  a  note  to  Epps,  requesting  him  not 
to  whip  him  on  his  return,  Wiley  was  sent  back  to 
Bayou  Boeuf.  It  was  the  hope  that  hung  upon  this 
request,  and  which  Roberts  assured  him  would  be  re- 
spected by  his  master,  that  sustained  him  as  he  ap- 
proached the  house.  The  request,  however,  as  may 
be  readily  supposed,  was  entirely  disregarded.  After 
being  kept  in  suspense  three  days,  Wiley  Was  stripped, 
and  compelled  to  endure  one  of  those  inhuman  flog- 
gings to  which  the  poor  slave  is  so  often  subjected. 
It  was  the  first  and  last  attempt  of  Wiley  to  run  away. 
The  long  scars  upon  his  back,  which  he  will  carry 
with  him  to  the  grave,  perpetually  remind  him  of  the 
dangers  of  such  a  step. 

There  was  not  a  day  throughout  the  ten  years  I  be- 
longed to  Epps  that  I  did  not  consult  with  myself  upon 
the  prospect  of  escape.  I  laid  many  plans,  which  at 
the  time  I  considered  excellent  ones,  but  one  after  the 
other  they  were  all  abandoned.  ISTo  man  who  has 
never  been  placed  in  such  a  situation,  can  comprehend 
the  thousand  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  flying 
slave.  Every  white  man's  hand  is  raised  against  him 
—  the  patrollers  are  watching  for  him  —  the  hounds 
are  ready  to  follow  on  his  track,  and  the  nature  of 
the  country  is  such  as  renders  it  impossible  to  pass 
through  it  with  any  safety.    I  thought,  however,  thai; 


FUGITIVES   IN   THE   PINE  WOODS.  241 

the  time  might  come,  perhaps,  when  I  should  he  run- 
ning through  the  swamps  again.  I  concluded,  in  that 
case,  to  be  prepared  for  Epps'  dogs,  should  they  pur- 
sue me.  He  possessed  several,  one  of  which  was  a 
notorious  slave-hunter,  and  the  most  fierce  and  savage 
of  his  breed.  While  out  hunting  the  coon  or  the 
opossum,  I  never  allowed  an  opportunity  to  escape, 
when  alone,  of  whipping  them  severely.  In  this  man-., 
ner  I  succeeded  at  length  in  subduing  them  com- 
pletely. They  feared  me,  obeying  my  voice  at  once 
when  others  had  no  control  over  them  whatever. 
Had  they  followed  and  overtaken  me,  I  doubt  not 
they  would  have  shrank  from  attacking  me. 

Notwithstanding  the  certainty  of  being  captured, 
the  woods  and  swamps  are,  nevertheless,  continually 
filled  with  runaways.  Many  of  them,  when  sick,  or 
so  worn  out  as  to  be  unable  to  perform  their  tasks, 
escape  into  the  swamps,  willing  to  suffer  the  punish- 
ment inflicted  for  such  offences,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
day  or  two  of  rest. 

While  I  belonged  to  Ford,  I  was  unwittingly  the 
means  of  disclosing  the  hiding-place  of  six  or  eight, 
who  had  taken  up  their  residence  in  the  "  Great  Pine 
"Woods."  Adam  Taydem  frequently  sent  me  from 
the  mills  over  to  the  opening  after  provisions.  The 
whole  distance  was  then  a  thick  pine  forest.  About 
ten  o'clock  of  a  beautiful  moonlight  night,  while 
walking  along  the  Texas  road,  returning  to  the  mills, 
carrying  a  dressed  pig  in  a  bag  swimg  over  my 
shoulder,  I  heard  footsteps  behind  me,  and  turning 

K  18 


242  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

round,  beheld  two  black  men  in  the  dress  of  slaves 
approaching  at  a  rapid  pace.  When  within  a  short 
distance,  one  of  them  raised  a  club,  as  if  intending  to 
strike  me ;  the  other  snatched  at  the  bag.  I  managed 
to  dodge  them  both,  and  seizing  a  pine  knot,  hurled 
it  with  such  force  against  the  head  of  one  of  them 
that  he  was  prostrated  apparently  senseless  to  the 
ground.  Just  then  two  more  made  their  appearance 
from  one  side  of  the  road.  Before  they  could  grapple 
me,  however,  I  succeeded  in  passing  them,  and  taking 
to  my  heels,  fled,  much  aftrighted,  towards  the  mills. 
"When  Adam  was  informed  of  the  adventure,  he 
hastened  straightway  to  the  Indian  village,  and  arous- 
ing Cascalla  and  several  of  his  tribe,  started  in  pur- 
suit of  the  highwaymen.  I  accompanied  them  to  the 
scene  of  attack,  when  we  discovered  a  puddle  of 
blood  in  the  road,  where  the  man  whom  I  had  smit- 
ten with  the  pine  knot  had  fallen.  After  searching 
carefully  through  the  woods  a  long  time,  one  of  Cas- 
calla's  men  discovered  a  smoke  curling  up  through 
the  branches  of  several  prostrate  pines,  whose  tops 
had  fallen  together.  The  rendezvous  was  cautiously 
surrounded,  and  all  of  them  taken  prisoners.  They 
had  escaped  from  a  plantation  in  the  vicinity  of  La- 
rnourie.  and  had  been  secreted  there  three  weeks. 
They  had  no  evil  design  upon  me,  except  to  frighten 
me  out  of  my  pig.  Having  observed  me  passing 
towards  Ford*s  just  at  night-fall,  and  suspecting  the 
nature  of  my  errand,  they  had  followed  me,  seen  me 
butcher  and  dress  the  porker,  and  start  on  my  return. 


AUGUSTUS   KILLED   BY   DOGS.  243 

They  had  been  pinched  for  food,  and  were  driven 
to  this  extremity  by  necessity.  Adam  conveyed 
them  to  the  parish  jail,  and  was  liberally  rewarded. 

Not  unfrequently  the  runaway  loses  his  life  in  the 
attempt  to  escape.  Epps'  premises  were  bounded  Ci 
one  side  by  Carey's,  a  very  extensive  sugar  planta- 
tion. He  cultivates  annually  at  least  fifteen  hundred 
acres  of  cane,  manufacturing  twenty-two  or  twenty- 
three  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar ;  an  hogshead  and 
a  half  being  the  usual  yield  of  an  acre.  Besides  this 
he  also  cultivates  five  or  six  hundred  acres  of  corn  and 
cotton.  He  owned  last  year  one  hundred  and  fifty 
three  field  hands,  besides  nearly  as  many  children,  and 
yearly  hires  a  drove  during  the  busy  season  from  this 
side  the  Mississippi. 

One  of  his  negro  drivers,  a  pleasant,  intelligent, 
boy,  was  named  Augustus.  During  the  holidays,  and 
occasionally  while  at  work  in  adjoining  fields,  I  ha<? 
an  opportunity  of  making  his  acquaintance,  which 
eventually  ripened  into  a  warm  and  mutual  attach- 
ment. Summer  before  last  he  was  so  unfortunate  as 
to  incur  the  displeasure  of  the  overseer,  a  coarse, 
heartless  brute,  who  whipped  him  most  cruelly.  Au- 
gustus ran  away.  Reaching  a  cane  rick  on  Hawkins' 
plantation,  he  secreted  himself  in  the  top  of  it.  All 
Carey's  dogs  were  put  upon  his  track — some  fifteen 
of  them  —  and  soon  scented  his  footsteps  to  the  hiding 
place.  They  surrounded  the  rick,  baying  and  scratch- 
ing, but  could  not  reach  him.  Presently,  guided  by 
the  clamor  of  the  hounds,  the  pursuers  rode  up,  when 


244  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

the  overseer,  mounting  on  to  the  rick,  drew  him  forth. 
As  life  rolled  down  to  the  ground  the  whole  pack 
plunged  upon  him,  and  before  they  could  be  beaten 
off,  had  gnawed  and  mutilated  his  body  in  the  most 
shocking  manner,  their  teeth  having  penetrated  to 
the  bone  in  an  hundred  places.  He  was  taken  up, 
tied  upon  a  mule,  and  carried  home.  But  this  was 
Augustus'  last  trouble.  He  lingered  until  the  next 
day,  when  death  sought  the  unhappy  boy,  and  kindly 
relieved  him  from  his  agony. 

It  was  not  unusual  for  slave  women  as  well  as  slave 
men  to  endeavor  to  escape.  Nelly,  Eldret's  girl,  with 
whom  I  lumbered  for  a  time  in  the  "Big  Cane 
Brake,"  lay  concealed  in  Epps'  corn  crib  three  days. 
At  night,  when  his  family  were  asleep,  she  would 
steal  into  the  quarters  for  food,  and  return  to  the  crib 
again.  "We  concluded  it  would  no  longer  be  safe  for 
us  to  allow  her  to  remain,  and  accordingly  she  re 
traced  her  steps  to  her  own  cabin. 

But  the  most  remarkable  instance  of  a  successful 
evasion  of  dogs  and  hunters  was  the  following : 
Among  Carey's  girls  was  one  by  the  name  of  Celeste. 
She  was  nineteen  or  twenty,  and  far  whiter  than  her 
owner,  or  any  of  his  offspring.  It  required  a  close 
inspection  to  distinguish  in  her  features  the  slightest 
trace  of  African  blood.  A  stranger  would  never 
have  dreamed  that  she  was  the  descendant  of  slaves. 
I  was  sitting  in  my  cabin  late  at  night,  playing  a  low 
air  on  my  violin,  when  the  door  opened  carefully,  and 
Celeste  stood  before  me.    She  was  pale  and  haggard. 


STORY   OF  CELESTE.  245 

Had  an  apparition  arisen  from  the  earth,  I  could  not 
have  been  more  startled. 

"  Who  are  you  ?''  I  demanded,  after  gazing  at  her 
a  moment. 

"  I'm  hungry  ;  give  me  some  bacon,"  was  her  reply. 

My  first  impression  was  that  she  was  some  de- 
ranged young  mistress,  who,  escaping  from  home,  was 
wandering,  she  knew  not  whither,  and  had  been 
attracted  to  my  cabin  by  the  sound  of  the  violin. 
The  coarse  cotton  slave  dress  she  wore,  however,  soon 
dispelled  such  a  supposition. 

"  What  is  your  name  ?"  I  again  interrogated. 

"  My  name  is  Celeste,"  she  answered.  "  I  belong 
to  Carey,  and  have  been  two  days  among  the  pal- 
mettoes.  I  am  sick  and  can't  work,  and  would  rather 
die  in  the  swamp  than  be  whipped  to  death  by  the 
overseer.  Carey's  dogs  won't  follow  me.  They  have 
tried  to  set  them  on.  There's  a  secret  between  them 
and  Celeste,  and  they  wont  mind  the  devilish  orders 
of  the  overseer.     Give  me  some  meat — I'm  starving." 

I  divided  my  scanty  allowance  with  her,  and  while 
partaking  of  it,  she  related  how  she  had  managed  to 
escape,  and  described  the  place  of  her  concealment. 
In  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  not  half  a  mile  from  Epps' 
house,  was  a  large  space,  thousands  of  acres  in 
extent,  thickly  covered  with  palmetto.  Tall  trees, 
whose  long  arms  interlocked  each  other,  formed  a 
canopy  above  them,  so  dense  as  to  exclude  the  beams 
of  the  sun.  It  was  like  twilight  always,  even  in  the 
middle  of  the  brightest  day.     In  the  centre  of  this 


246  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

great  space,  which  nothing  but  serpents  very  often 
explore  —  a  sombre  and  solitary  spot  —  Celeste  had 
erected  a  rude  hut  of  dead  branches  that  had  fallen 
to  the  ground,  and  covered  it  with  the  leaves  of  the 
palmetto.  This  was  the  abode  she  had  selected. 
She  had  no  fear  of  Carey's  dogs,  any  more  than  I  had 
of  Epps'.  It  is  a  fact,  which  I  have  never  been  able 
to  explain,  that  there,  are  those  whose  tracks  the 
hounds  will  absolutely  refuse  to  follow.  Celeste  was 
one  of  them. 

For  several  nights  she  came  to  my  cabin  for  food. 
On  one  occasion  our  dogs  barked  as  she  approached, 
which  aroused  Epps,  and  induced  him  to  reconnoitre 
the  premises.  He  did  not  discover  her,  but  after  that 
it  was  not  deemed  prudent  for  her  to  come  to  the 
yard.  When  all  was  silent  I  carried  provisions  to  a 
certain  spot  agreed  upon,  where  she  would  find  them. 

In  this  manner  Celeste  passed  the  greater  part  of 
the  summer.  She  regained  her  health,  and  became 
strong  and  hearty.  At  all  seasons  of  the  year  the 
howlings  of  wild  animals  can  be  heard  at  night  along 
the  borders  of  the  swamps.  Several  times  they  had 
made  her  a  midnight  call,  awakening  her  from  slum- 
ber with  a  growl.  Terrified  by  such  unpleasant  salu- 
tations, she  finally  concluded  to  abandon  her  lonely 
dwelling ;  and,  accordingly,  returning  to  her  master, 
was  scourged,  her  neck  meanwhile  being  fastened  in 
the  stocks,  and  sent  into  the  field  again. 

The  year  before  my  arrival  in  the  country  there 
was  a  concerted  movement  among  a  number  of  slaves 


THE   CONCERTED   MOVEMENT.  247 

on  Bayou  Bceuf,  that  terminated  tragically  indeed: 
It  was,  I  presume,  a  matter  of  newspaper  notoriety  at 
the  time,  but  all  the  knowledge  I  have  of  it,  has  been 
derived  from  the  relation  of  those  living  at  that  period 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  excitement.  It  has 
become  a  subject  of  general  and  unfailing  interest  in 
every  slave-hat  on  the  bayon,  and  will  doubtless  go 
down  to  succeeding  generations  as  their  chief  tradi- 
tion. Lew  Cheney,  with  whom  I  became  acquainted 
—  a  shrewd,  cunning  negro,  more  intelligent  than  the 
generality  of  his  race,  but  unscrupulous  and  full  of 
treachery — conceived  the  project  of  organizing  a  com- 
pany sufficiently  strong  to  fight  their  way  against  all 
opposition,  to  the  neighboring  territory  of  Mexico. 

A  remote  spot,  far  within  the  depths  of  the  swamp, 
back  of  Hawkins'  plantation,  was  selected  as  the  ral- 
lying point.  Lew  flitted  from  one  plantation  to  an- 
other, in  the  dead  of  night,  preaching  a  crusade  to 
Mexico,  and,  like  Peter  the  Hermit,  creating  a  furor 
of  excitement  wherever  he  appeared.  At  length  a 
large  number  of  runaways  were  assembled;  stolen 
mules,  and  corn  gathered  from  the  fields,  and  bacon 
filched  from  smoke-houses,  had  been  conveyed  into 
the  woods.  The  expedition  was  about  ready  to  pro- 
ceed, when  their  hiding  place  was  discovered.  Lew 
Cheney,  becoming  convinced  of  the  ultimate  failure 
of  his  project,  in  order  to  curry  favor  with  his  master, 
and  avoid  the  consequences  which  he  foresaw  would 
follow,  deliberately  determined  to  sacrifice  all  his 
companions.     Departing  secretly  from  the  encamp- 


248  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

Bient,.  he  proclaimed  among  the  planters  the  number 
collected  in  the  swamp,  and,  instead  of  stating  truly 
the  object  they  had  in  view,  asserted  their  intention 
was  to  emerge  from  their  seclusion  the  first  favorable 
Opportunity,  and  murder  every  white  person  along  the 
bayou. 

Such  an  announcement,  exaggerated  as  it  passed 
from  'mouth  to  mouth,  filled  the  whole  country  with 
terror.  The  fugitives  were  surrounded  and  taken  pris- 
oners, carried  in  chains  to  Alexandria,  and  hung  by 
the  populace.  ISTot  only  those,  but  many  who  were 
suspected,  though  entirely  innocent,  were  taken  from 
the  field  and  from  the  cabin,  and  without  the  shadow 
of  process  or  form  of  trial,  hurried  to  the  scaffold. 
The  planter's  on  Bayou  Boeuf  finally  rebelled  against 
such  reckless  destruction  of  property,  but  it  was  not 
until  a  regiment  of  soldiers  had  arrived  from  some 
fort  on  the  Texan  frontier,  demolished  the  gallows, 
and  opened  the  doors  of  the  Alexandria  prison,  that 
the  indiscriminate  slaughter  was  stayed.  Lew  Che- 
ney escaped,  and  was  even  rewarded  for  his  treachery. 
He  is  still  living,  but  his  name  is  despised  and  exe- 
crated by  all  his  race  throughout  the  parishes  of 
Rapides  and  Avoyelles. 

Such  an  idea  as  insurrection,  however,  is  not  new 
among  the  enslaved  population  of  Bayou  Bceuf.  More 
than  once  I  have  joined  in  serious  consultation,  when 
the  subject  has  been  discussed,  and  there  have  been 
times  when  a  word  from  me  would  have  placed  hun- 
dreds of  my  fellow-bondsmen  in  an  attitude  of  defi- 


THE   IDEA   OF  INSURRECTION.  240 

ance.  Without  arms  or  ammunition,  or  even  with 
them,  I  saw  such  a  step  would  result  in  certain  defeat, 
disaster  and  death,  and  always  raised  my  voice 
against  it. 

During  the  Mexican  war  I  well  remember  the  ex- 
travagant hopes  that  were  excited.  The  news  of  vie 
tory  filled  the  great  house  with  rejoicing,  but  pro- 
duced only  sorrow  and  disappointment  in  the  cabin. 
In  my  opinion  —  and  I  have  had  opportunity  to  know 
something  of  the  feeling  of  which  I  speak  — there  are 
not  fifty  slaves  on  the  shores  of  Bayou  Bceuf,  but 
would  hail  with  unmeasured  delight  the  approach  of 
an  invading  army. 

They  are  deceived  who  flatter  themselves  that  the 
ignorant  and  debased  slave  has  no  conception  of  the 
magnitude  of  his  wrongs.  They  are  deceived  who 
imagine  that  he  arises  from  his  knees,  with  back  la- 
cerated and  bleeding,  cherishing  only  a  spirit  of  meek- 
ness and  forgiveness.  A  day  may  come  —  it  will 
come,  if  his  prayer  is  heard — a  terrible  day  of  ven- 
geance, when  the  master  in  his  turn  will  cry  in  vain 

for  mercy. 

K* 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

o'nTEL,  THE  TANNER CONVERSATION'  WITH  AUNT  PHEEE  OVERHEARD EPPS 

IN   THE    TANNING    BUSINESS STABBING    OF   UNCLE    ABRAM THE    UGLY 

WOUND EPPS    IS     JEALOUS PATS EY  IS    MISSING HER    RETURN    FROM 

SHAW'S HARRIET,  SHAW's    BLACK    WIFE EPPS  ENRAGED PATSEY  DE- 
NIES   EH    CHARGES SHE   IS  TIED    DOWN   NAKED  TO   FOUR   STAKES THE 

INHUMAN   FLOGGING FLAYING  OF  PATSEY THE  BEAUTY  OF  THE  DAY  — 

THE    BUCKET  OF  SALT  WATER THE    DRESS    STIFF   WITH   BLOOD PATSEY 

GROWS  MELANCHOLY HER  IDEA  OF  GOD  AND  ETERNITY OF  HEAVEN  AND 

FREEDOM THE  EFFECT  OF  SLAVE -WHIPPING EPPs'  OLDEST  SON "THE 

CHILD  IS  FATHER  TO  THE  MAN." 

"Wiley  suffered  severely  at  the  hands  of  Master 
Epps,  as  has  been  related  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
but  in  this  respect  he  fared  no  worse  than  his  unfor- 
tunate companions.  "  Spare  the  rod,"  was  an  idea 
scouted  by  our  master.  He  was  constitutionally  sub- 
ject to  periods  of  ill-humor,  and  at  such  times,  how- 
ever little  provocation  there  might  be,  a  certain 
amount  of  punishment  was  inflicted.  The  circum- 
stances attending  the  last  flogging  but  one  that  I  re- 
ceived, will  show  how  trivial  a  cause  was  sufficient 
with  him  for  resorting  to  the  whip. 

A  Mr.  O'lSTiel,  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Big 
Pine  Woods,  called  upon  Epps  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 


0?iNIEL,    THE  TANNEB-.  251 

chasing  me.  He  was  a  tanner  and  currier  by  occu- 
pation, transacting  an  extensive  business,  and  intend- 
ed to  place  me  at  service  in  some  department  of  his 
establishment,  provided  he  bought  me.  Aunt  Phebe,, 
while  preparing  the  dinner-table  in  the  great  house, 
overheard  their  conversation.  On  returning  to  the 
yard  at  night,  the  old  woman  ran  to  meet  me,  design- 
ing, of  course,  to  overwhelm  me  with  the  news.  She 
entered  into  a  minute  repetition  of  all  she  had  heard, 
and  Aunt  Phebe  was  one  whose  ears  never  failed  to 
drink  in  every  word  of  conversation  uttered  in  her 
hearing.  She  enlarged  upon  the  fact  that  "Massa 
Epps  was  g'wine  to  sell  me  to  a  tanner  ober  in  de 
Pine  Woods,"  so  long  and  loudly  as  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  mistress,  who,  standing  unobserved  on 
the  piazza  at  the  time,  was  listening  to  our  conver- 
sation. 

"  Well,  Aunt  Phebe,"  said  I,  "  I'm  glad  of  it.  I'm 
tired  of  scraping  cotton,  and  would  rather  be  a  tanner. 
I  hope  he'll  buy  me." 

O'Niel  did  not  effect  a  purchase,  however,  the  par- 
ties differing  as  to  price,  and  the  morning  following 
his  arrival,  departed  homewards.  He  had  been  gone 
but  a  short  time,  when  Epps  made  his  appearance  in 
the  field.  ISTow  nothing  will  more  violently  enrage  a 
master,  especially  Epps,  than  the  intimation  of  one  of 
his  servants  that  he  would  like  to  leave  him.  Mis- 
tress Epps  had  repeated  to  him  my  expressions  to 
Aunt  Phebe  the  evening  previous,  as  I  learned  from 
the  latter  afterwards,  the  mistress  having  mentioned 


252  TWELVE  TEAKS  A  SLAVE. 

to  her  that  she  had  overheard  us.  On  entering  the 
field,  Epps  walked  directly  to  me. 

"  So,  Piatt,  you're  tired  of  scraping  cotton,  are  you? 
You  would  like  to  change  your  master,  eh  ?  You're 
fond  of  moving  round  —  traveler  —  ain't  ye  ?  Ah, 
yes — -like  to  travel  for  your  health,  may  be?  Feel 
above  cotton-scraping,  I  'spose.  So  you're  going  into 
the  tanning  business  ?  Good  business  —  devilish  fine 
business.  Enterprising  nigger !  B'lieve  I'll  go  into 
that  business  myself.  Down  on  your  knees,  and  strip 
that  rag  off  your  back  !    I'll  try  my  hand  at  tanning." 

I  begged  earnestly,  and  endeavored  to  soften  him 
with  excuses,  but  in  vain.  There  was  no  other  alter- 
native ;  so  kneeling  down,  I  presented  my  bare  back 
for  the  application  of  the  lash. 

"  How  do  you  like  tanning  ?"  he  exclaimed,  as  the 
rawhide  descended  upon  my  flesh.  "  How  do  you 
like  tanning  f  "  he  repeated  at  every  blow.  In  this 
manner  he  gave  me  twenty  or  thirty  lashes,  inces- 
santly giving  utterance  to  the  word  "  tanning,"  in  one 
form  of  expression  or  another.  When  sufficiently 
"  tanned,"  he  allowed  me  to  arise,  and  with  a  half- 
malicious  laugh  assured  me,  if  I  still  fancied  the  busi- 
ness, he  would  give  me  further  instruction  in  it  when- 
ever I  desired.  This  time,  he  remarked,  he  had  only 
given  me  a  short  lesson  in  "  tanning  " —  the  next  time 
he  would  "  curry  me  down." 

Uncle  Abmm,  also,  was  frequently  treated  with 
great  brutality,  although  he  was  one  of  the  kindest 
and  most  faithful  creatures  in  the  world.    He  was  my 


STABBING   OF   UNCLE  ABEAM.  253 

cabin-mate  for  years.  There  was  a  benevolent  ex- 
pression in  the  old  man's  face,  pleasant  to  behold. 
He  regarded  us  with  a  kind  of  parental  feeling,  always 
counseling  us  witli  remarkable  gravity  and  delibe- 
ration. 

Returning  from  Marshall's  plantation  one  afternoon, 
whither  I  had  been  sent  on  some  errand  of  the  mis- 
tress, I  found  him  lying  on  the  cabin  floor,  his  clothes 
saturated  with  blood.  He  informed  me  that  he  had 
been  stabbed  !  While  spreading  cotton  on  the  scaf- 
fold, Epps  came  home  intoxicated  from  Holmesville, 
He  found  fault  with  every  thing,  giving  many  orders 
so  directly  contrary  that  it  was  impossible  to  execute 
any  of  them.  Uncle  Abram,  whose  faculties  were 
growing  dull,  became  confused,  and  committed  some 
blunder  of  no  particular  consequence.  Epps  was  so 
enraged  thereat,  that,  with  drunken  recklessness,  he 
flew  upon  the  old  man,  and  stabbed  him  in  the  back. 
It  was  a  long,  ugly  wound,  but  did  not  happen  to 
penetrate  far  enough  to  result  fatally.  It  was  sewed 
up  by  the  mistress,  who  censured  her  husband  with 
extreme  severity,  not  only  denouncing  his  inhumanity, 
but  declaring  that  she  expected  nothing  else  than  that 
he  would  bring  the  family  to  poverty  —  that  he  would 
kill  all  the  slaves  on  the  plantation  in  Tsonie  of  his 
drunken  fits. 

It  was  no  uncommon  thing  with  him  to  prostrate 
Aunt  Phebe  with  a  chair  or  stick  of  wood ;  but  the 
most  cruel  whipping  that  ever  I  was  doomed  to  wit- 
ness —  one  I  can  never  recall  with  any  other  emotion 


254  TWELVE  TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

than  that  of  horror  —  was  inflicted  on  the  unfortunate 
Patsey. 

It  has  been  seen  that  the  jealousy  and  hatred  of 
Mistress  Epps  made  the  daily  life  of  her  young  and 
agile  slave  completely  miserable.  I  am  happy  in  the 
belief  that  on  numerous  occasions  I  was  the  means  of 
averting  punishment  from  the  inoffensive  girl.  In 
Epps'  absence  the  mistress  often  ordered  me  to  whip 
her  without  the  remotest  provocation.  I  would  refuse, 
saying  that  I  feared  my  master's  displeasure,  and  sev- 
eral times  ventured  to  remonstrate  with  her  against 
the  treatment  Patsey  received.  I  endeavored  to  im- 
press her  with  the  truth  that  the  latter  was  not  re- 
sponsible for  the  acts  of  which  she  complained,  but 
that  she  being  a  slave,  and  subject  entirely  to  her 
master's  will,  he  alone  was  answerable. 

At  length  "  the  green-eyed  monster  "  crept  into  the 
soul  of  Epps  also,  and  then  it  was  that  he  joined  with 
his  wrathful  wife  in  an  infernal  jubilee  over  the  girl's 
miseries. 

On  a  Sabbath  day  in  hoeing  time,  not  long  ago,  we 
were  on  the  bayou  bank,  washing  our  clothes,  as  was 
our  usual  custom.  Presently  Patsey  was  missing, 
Epps  called  aloud,  but  there  was  no  answer.  ~No  one 
had  observed  her  leaving  the  yard,  and  it  was  a  won- 
der with  us  whither  she  had  gone.  In  the  course  of 
a  couple  of  hours  she  was  seen  approaching  from  the 
direction  of  Shaw's.  This  man,  as  has  been  intima- 
ted, was  a  notorious  profligate,  and  withal  not  on  the 
most  friendly  terms  with  Epps.     Harriet,  his  black 


PATSEY's   RET  DEN  FROM   SHAWNS.  255 

wife,  knowing  Patsey's  troubles,  was  kind  to  her,  in 
consequence  of  which  the  latter  was  in  the  habit  of 
going  over  to  see  her  every  opportunity.  Her  visits 
were  prompted  by  friendship  merely,  but  the  suspi- 
cion gradually  entered  the  brain  of  Epps,  that  another 
and  a  baser  passion  led  her  thither  —  that  it  was  not 
Harriet  she  desired  to  meet,  but  rather  the  unblush- 
ing libertine,  his  neighbor.  Patsey  found  her  master 
in  a  fearful  rage  on  her  return.  His  violence  so 
alarmed  her  that  at  first  she  attempted  to  evade  direct 
answers  to  his  questions,  which  only  served  to  increase 
his  suspicions.  She  finally,  however,  drew  herself  up 
proudly,  and  in  a  spirit  of  indignation  boldly  denied 
his  charges. 

"  Missus  don't  give  me  soap  to  wash  with,  as  she 
does  the  rest,"  said  Patsey,  "  and  you  know  why.  I 
went  over  to  Harriet's  to  get  a  piece,"  and  saying  this, 
she  drew  it  forth  from  a  pocket  in  her  dress  and  ex- 
hibited it  to  him.  "  That's  what  I  went  to  Shaw's  for, 
Massa  Epps,"  continued  she ;  "  the  Lord  knows  that 
was  all." 

"  You  lie,  you  black  wench !  "  shouted  Epps. 

"  I  don't  lie,  massa.    If  you  kill  me,  I'll  stick  to  that," 

"  Oh  !  I'll  fetch  you  down.  I'll  learn  you  to  go  to 
Shaw's.  I'll  take  the  starch  out  of  ye,"  he  muttered 
fiercely  through  his  shut  teeth. 

Then  turning  to  me,  he  ordered  four  stakes  to  be 
driven  into  the  ground,  pointing  with  the  toe  of  his 
boot  to  the  places  where  he  wanted  them.  "When  the 
stakes  were  driven  down,  he  ordered  her  to  be  strips 


256  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

ped  of  every  article  of  dress.  Ropes  were  then 
brought,  and  the  naked  girl  was  laid  upon  her  face, 
her  wrists  and  feet  each  tied  firmly  to  a  stake.  Step- 
ping to  the  piazza,  he  took  down  a  heavy  whip,  and 
placing  it  in  my  hands,  commanded  me  to  lash  her. 
Unpleasant  as  it  was,  I  was  compelled  to  obey  him. 
ISTowhere  that  day,  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  I 
venture  to  say,  was  there  such  a  demoniac  exhibition 
witnessed  as  then  ensued. 

Mistress  Epps  stood  on  the  piazza  among  her  chil- 
dren, gazing  on  the  scene  with  an  air  of  heartless  sat- 
isfaction. The  slaves  were  huddled  together  at  a  lit- 
tle distance,  their  countenances  indicating  the  sorrow 
of  their  hearts.  Poor  Patsey  prayed  piteously  for 
mercy,  but  her  prayers  were  vain.  Epps  ground  his 
teeth,  and  stamped  upon  the  ground,  screaming  at  me, 
like  a  mad  fiend,  to  strike  harder. 

"  Strike  harder,  or  your  turn  will  come  next,  you 
scoundrel,"  he  yelled. 

"  Oh,  mercy,  massa  ! — -oh!  have  mercy,  do.  Oh, 
God  !  pity  me,"  Patsey  exclaimed  continually,  strug- 
gling fruitlessly,  and  the  flesh  quivering  at  every 
stroke. 

"When  I  had  struck  her  as  many  as  thirty  times,  I 
stopped,  and  turned  round  toward  Epps,  hoping  he 
was  satisried ;  but  with  bitter  oaths  and  threats,  he 
ordered  me  to  continue.  I  inflicted  ten  or  fifteen 
blows  more.  By  this  time  her  back  was  covered  with 
long  welts,  intersecting  each  other  like  net  work. 
Epps  was  yet  furious  and  savage  as  ever,  demanding 


THE   STAKING  OUT   AXD   FLOGGING  OF   THE   GIRL   PATSEY 


FLAYING   OF  PATSEY.  257 

if  she  would  like  to  go  to  Shaw's  again,  and  swear- 
ing he  would  flog  her  until  she  wished  she  was  in  h — I. 
Throwing  down  the  whip,  I  declared  I  could  punish 
her  no  more.  He  ordered  me  to  go  on,  threatening 
me  with  a  severer  flogging  than  she  had  received,  in 
ease  of  refusal.  My  heart  revolted  at  the  inhuman 
scene,  and  risking  the  consequences,  I  absolutely  re- 
fused to  raise  the  whip.  He  then  seized  it  himself, 
and  applied  it  with  ten-fold  greater  force  than  I  had. 
The  painful  cries  and  shrieks  of  the  tortured  Patsey, 
mingling  with  the  loud  and  angry  curses  of  Epps, 
loaded  the  air.  She  was  terribly  lacerated  —  I  may 
say,  without  exaggeration,  literally  flayed.  The 
lash  was  wet  with  blood,  which  flowed  down  her 
sides  and  dropped  upon  the  ground.  At  length  she 
ceased  struggling.  Her  head  sank  listlessly  on  the 
ground.  Her  screams  and  supplications  gradually 
decreased  and  died  away  into  a  low  moan.  She  no 
longer  writhed  and  shrank  beneath  the  lash  when  it  bit 
out  small  pieces  of  her  flesh.  I  thought  that  she  was 
dying ! 

It  was  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  The  fields  smiled 
in  the  warm  sunlight — the  birds  chirped  merrily 
amidst  the  foliage  of  the  trees  —  peace  and  happiness 
seemed  to  reign  everywhere,  save  in  the  bosoms  of 
Epps  and  his  panting  victim  and  the  silent  witnesses 
around  him.  The  tempestuous  emotions  that  were 
raging  there  were  little  in  harmony  with  the  calm 
and  quiet  beauty  of  the  day.  I  could  look  on  Epps 
only  with  unutterable  loathing  and  abhorrence,  and 


258  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

thought  within  myself — "  Thou  devil,  sooner  or  later, 
somewhere  in  the  course  of  eternal  justice,  thou  shalt 
answer  for  this  sin  !  " 

Finally,  he  ceased  whipping  from  mere  exhaustion, 
and  ordered  Phebe  to  bring  a  bucket  of  salt  and  wa- 
ter. After  washing  her  thoroughly  with  this,  I  was 
told  to  take  her  to  her  cabin.  Untying  the  ropes,  I 
raised  her  in  my  arms.  She  was  unable  to  stand,  and 
as  her  head  rested  on  my  shoulder,  she  repeated  ma- 
ny times,  in  a  faint  voice  scarcely  perceptible,  "  Oh, 
Piatt  —  oh,  Piatt !"  but  nothing  further.  Her  dress 
was  replaced,  but  it  clung  to  her  back,  and  was  soon 
stiff  with  blood.  We  laid  her  on  some  boards  in  the 
hut,  where  she  remained  a  long  time,  with  eyes  closed 
and  groaning  in  agony.  At  night  Phebe  applied 
melted  tallow  to  her  wounds,  and  so  far  as  we  were 
able,  all  endeavored  to  assist  and  console  her.  Day 
after  day  she  lay  in  her  cabin  upon  her  face,  the  sores 
preventing  her  resting  in  any  other  position. 

A  blessed  thing  it  would  have  been  for  her  —  days 
and  weeks  and  months  of  misery  it  would  have  saved 
her  —  had  she  never  lifted  up  her  head  in  life  again. 
Indeed,  from  that  time  forward  she  was  not  what  she 
had  been.  The  burden  of  a  deep  melancholy  weigh- 
ed heavily  on  her  spirits.  She  no  longer  moved  with 
that  buoyant  and  elastic  step  —  there  was  not  that 
mirthful  sparkle  in  her  eyes  that  formerly  distin- 
guished her.  The  bounding  vigor  —  the  sprightly, 
laughter-loving  spirit  of  her  youth,  were  gone.  She 
fell  into  a  mournful  and  desponding  mood,  and  often- 


patsey's  idea  of  god,  &c.  259 

times  would  start  up  in  her  sleep,  and  with  raised 
hands,  plead  for  mercy.  She  became  more  silent 
than  she  was,  toiling  all  day  in  our  midst,  not  uttering 
a  word.  A  care-worn,  pitiful  expression  settled  on 
her  face,  and  it  was  her  humor  now  to  weep,  rather 
than  rejoice.  If  ever  there  was  a  broken  heart  — 
one  crushed  and  blighted  by  the  rude  grasp  of  suffer- 
ing and  misfortune  —  it  was  Patsey's. 

She  had  been  reared  no  better  than  her  master's  v 
beast — 'looked  upon  merely  as  a  valuable  and  hand- 
some animal  —  and  consequently  possessed  but  a.lim- 
ited  amount  of  knowledge.  And  yet  a  faint  light 
cast  its  rays  over  her  intellect,  so  that  it  was  not 
wholly  dark.  She  had  a  dim  perception  of  God  and 
of  eternity,  and  a  still  more  dim  perception  of  a  Sav- 
iour who  had  died  even  for  such  as  her.  She  enter 
tained  but  confused  notions  of  a  future  life  — not  com- 
prehending the  distinction  between  the  corporeal  and 
spiritual  existence.  Happiness,  in  her  mind,  was  ex- 
emption from  stripes  —  from  labor  —  from  the  cruelty 
of  masters  and  overseers.  Her  idea  of  the  joy  of 
heaven  was  simply  rest,  and  is  fully  expressed  in  these 
lines  of  a  melancholy  bard : 

"  I  ask  no  paradise  on  high, 

With  cares  on  earth  oppressed, 

The  only  heaven  for  which  I  sigh, 
Is  rest,  eternal  rest." 

It  is  a  mistaken  opinion  that  prevails  in  some  quar- 
ters, that  the  slave  does  not  understand  the  term  — 
does  not  comprehend  the  idea  of  freedom.    Even  on 


260  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

Bayou  Bosuf,  where  I  conceive  slavery  exists  in  its 
most  abject  and  cruel  form  —  where  it  exhibits  fea- 
tures altogether  unknown  in  more  northern  States  — ■ 
the  most  ignorant  of  them  generally  know  full  well 
its  meaning.  They  understand  the  privileges  and 
exemptions  that  belong  to  it — that  it  would  bestow 
upon  them  the  fruits  of  their  own  labors,  and  that  it 
would  secure  to  them  the  enjoyment  of  domestic  hap- 
piness. They  do  not  fail  to  observe  the  difference 
between  their  own  condition  and  the  meanest  white 
man's,  and  to  realize  the  injustice  of  the  laws  which 
place  it  in  his  power  not  only  to  appropriate  the 
profits  of  their  industry,  but  to  subject  them  to  un- 
merited and  unprovoked  punishment,  without  reme- 
dy, or  the  right  to  resist,  or  to  remonstrate. 

Patsey's  life,  especially  after  her  whipping,  was  one 
long  dream  of  liberty.  Far  away,  to  her  fancy  an 
immeasurable  distance,  she  knew  there  was  a  land  of 
freedom.  A  thousand  times  she  had,  heard  that 
somewhere  in  the  distant  North  there  were  no 
slaves  —  no  masters.  In  her  imagination  it  was  an 
enchanted  region,  the  Paradise  of  the  earth.  To  dwell 
where  the  black  man  may  work  for  himself — live  in 
his  own  cabin  —  till  his  own  soil,  was  a  blissful  dream 
of  Patsey's  —  a  dream,  alas  !  the  fulfillment  of  which 
she  can  never  realize. 

The  effect  of  these  exhibitions  of  brutality  on  the 
household  of  the  slave-holder,  is  apparent.  Epps' 
oldest  son  is  an  intelligent  lad  of  ten  or  twelve  years 
of  age.     It  is  pitiable,  sometimes,  to  see  him  chas- 


EPPS'   OLDEST   SON.  261 

tising,  for  instance,  the  venerable  Uncle  Abram.  He 
will  call  the  old  man  to  account,  and  if  in  his  child- 
ish judgment  it  is  necessary,  sentence  him  to  a  cer- 
tain number  of  lashes,  which  he  proceeds  to  inflict 
with  much  gravity  and  deliberation.  Mounted  on  his 
pony,  he  often  rides  into  the  field  with  his  whip,  play- 
ing the  overseer,  greatly  to  his  father's  delight. 
Without  discrimination,  at  such  times,  he  applies  the 
rawhide,  urging  the  slaves  forward  with  shouts,  and 
occasional  expressions  of  profanity,  while  the  old  man 
laughs,  and  commends  him  as  a  thorough-going  boy. 

"  The  child  is  father  to  the  man,"  and  with  such 
training,  whatever  may  be  his  natural  disposition,  it 
cannot  well  be  otherwise  than  that,  on  arriving  at  ma- 
turity, the  sufferings  and  miseries  of  the  slave  will 
be  looked  upon  with  entire  indifference.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  iniquitous  system  necessarily  fosters  an 
unfeeling  and  cruel  spirit,  even  in  the  bosoms  of  those 
who,  among  their  equals,  are  regarded  as  humane 
and  generous. 

Young  Master  Epps  possessed  some  noble  qualities, 
yet  no  process  of  reasoning  could  lead  him  to  com- 
prehend, that  in  the  eye  of  the  Almighty  there  is  no 
distinction  of  color.  He  looked  upon  the  black  man 
simply  as  an  animal,  differing  in  no  respect  from  any 
other  animal,  save  in  the  gift  of  speech  and  the  pos- 
session of  somewhat  higher  instincts,  and,  therefore, 
the  more  valuable.  To  work  like  his  father's  mules  — 
to  be  whipped  and  kicked  and  scourged  through  life  — 
to  address  the  white  man  with  hat  in  hand,  and  eyes 


262  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

bent  servilely  on  the  earth,  in  his  mind,  was  the  natu- 
ral and  proper  destiny  of  the  slave.  Brought  up  with 
such  ideas  —  in  the  notion  that  we  stand  without  the 
pale  of  humanity  —  no  wonder  the  oppressors  of  my 
people  are  a  pitiless  and  unrelenting  race. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

AVERY,  OF  BAYOU    EOUGE PECULIARITY    OF   DWELLINGS EPPS    BUILDS    A 

NEW  HOUSE BASS,  THE    CARPENTER HIS    NOBLE   QUALITIES HIS  PFE- 

SONAL  APPEAEANCE   AND  ECCENTRICITIES BASS    AND  EPPS     DISCUSS    THE 

QUESTION     OF     SLAVEEY EPPS'      OPINION      OF    BASS 1  MAKE    MYSELF 

KNOWN    TO    HTM OUR   CONVERSATION HIS    SUP>PRISE THE  MIDNIGHT 

MEETING   ON    THE    BAYOU     BANK BASS'    ASSURANCES DECLARES    WAR 

AGAINST   SLAVERY WHY  I  DID  NOT  DISCLOSE  MY  HISTORY BASS  WRITES 

LETTERS COPY  OF   HIS    LETTER   TO    MESSES.    PAEKEE   AND   PEERY THE 

FEVER  OF    SUSPENSE DISAPPOINTMENTS BASS     ENDEAVORS    TO    CHEER 

ME MY   FAITH    IN  HIM. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1852,  in  pursuance  of  a  pre- 
vious contract,  Mr.  Avery,  a  carpenter  of  Bayou 
Rouge,  commenced  the  erection  of  a  house  for  Mas- 
ter Epps.  It  has  previously  been  stated  that  there 
are  no  cellars  on  Bayou  Boauf ;  on  the  other  hand, 
such  is  the  low  and  swampy  nature  of  the  ground, 
the  great  houses  are  usually  built  upon  spiles.  An- 
other peculiarity  is,  the  rooms  are  not  plastered,  but 
the  ceiling  and  sides  are  covered  with  matched  cy- 
press boards,  painted  such  color  as  most  pleases  the 
owner's  taste.  Generally  the  plank  and  boards  are 
sawed  by  slaves  with  whip-saws,  there  being  no  water- 
power  upon  which  mills  might  be  built  within  many 
miles.  "When  the  planter  erects  for  himself  a  dwel- 
ling, therefore,  there  is  plenty  of  extra  work  for  his 


264  TWELVE   YEAK9   A    SLATE. 

slaves.  Having  had  some  experience  under  Tibeats 
as  a  carpenter,  I  was  taken  from  the  field  altogether, 
on  the  arrival  of  Avery  and  his  hands. 
.  Among  them  was  one  to  whom  I  owe  an  immeas- 
urable debt  of  gratitude.  Only  for  him,  in  all  prob- 
ability, I  should  have  ended  my  days  in  slavery.  He 
was  my  deliverer  —  a  man  whose  true  heart  over- 
flowed with  noble  and  generous  emotions.  To  the 
last  moment  of  my  existence  I  shall  remember  him 
with  feelings  of  thankfulness.  His  name  was  Bass, 
and  at  that  time  he  resided  in  Marksville.  It  will 
be  difficult  to  convey  a  correct  impression  of  his  ap- 
pearance or  character.  He  was  a  large  man,  between 
forty  and  fifty  years  old,  of  light  complexion  and 
light  hair.  He  was  very  cool  and  self-possessed,  fond 
of  argument,  but  always  speaking  with  extreme  de- 
liberation. He  was  that  kind  of  person  whose  pecu- 
liarity of  manner  was  such  that  nothing  he  uttered 
ever  gave  offence.  "What  would  be  intolerable,  com- 
ing from  the  lips  of  another,  could  be  said  by  him 
with  impunity.  There  was  not  a  man  on  Red  River, 
perhaps,  that  agreed  with  him  on  the  subject  of  poli- 
tics or  religion,  and  not  a  man,  I  venture  to  say,  who 
discussed  either  of  those  subjects  half  as  much.  It 
seemed  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  he  would  espouse 
the  unpopular  side  of  every  local  question,  and  it  al- 
ways created  amusement  rather  than  displeasure 
among  his  auditors,  to  listen  to  the  ingenious  and 
original  manner  in  which  he  maintained  the  contro- 
versy.   He  was  a  bachelor  —  an  "  old  bachelor,"  ac- 


BASS,   THE   CAKPENTEK.  265 

cording  to  the  true  acceptation  of  the  term  —  having 
no  kindred  living,  as  he  knew  of,  in  the  world.  Nei- 
ther had  he  any  permanent  abiding  place  ■ —  wander- 
ing frcm  one  State  to  another,  as  his  fancy  dictated. 
He  had  lived  in  Marksville  three  or  four  years,  and 
in  the  prosecution  of  his  business  as  a  carpenter ;  and 
in  consequence,  likewise,  of  his  peculiarities,  was 
quite  extensively  known  throughout  the  parish  of 
Avoyelles.  He  was  liberal  to  a  fault ;  and  his  many 
acts  of  kindness  and  transparent  goodness  of  heart 
rendered  him  popular  in  the  community,  the  senti- 
ment of  which  he  unceasingly  combated. 

He  was  a  native  of  Canada,  from  whence  he  had 
wandered  in  early  life,  and  after  visiting  all  the  prin- 
cipal localities  in  the  northern  and  western  States,  in 
the  course  of  his  peregrinations,  arrived  in  the  un- 
healthy region  of  the  Red  River.  His  last  removal 
was  froni  Illinois.  Whither  he  has  now  gone,  I  re- 
gret to  be  obliged  to  say,  is  unknown  to  me.  He 
gathered  up  his  effects  and  departed  quietly  from 
Marksville  the  day  before  I  did,  the  suspicions  of  his 
instrumentality  in  procuring  my  liberation  rendering 
such  a  step  necessary.  For  the  commission  of  a  just 
and  righteous  act  he  would  undoubtedly  have  suffer- 
ed death,  had  he  remained  within  reach  of  the  slave- 
whipping  tribe  on  Bayou  Bceuf. 

One  day,  while  working  on  the  new  house,  Bass 
and  Epps  became  engaged  in  a  controversy,  to  which, 
as  will  be  readily  supposed,  I  listened  with  absorbing 
interest.    They  were  discussing  the  subj  ect  of  Slavery. 


266  TWELVE  YEARS  A  SLATE. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is  Epps,"  said  Bass,  "  it's  all 
wrong —  all  wrong,  sir — there's  no  justice  nor  right- 
eousness in  it.  I  wouldn't  own  a  slave  if  I  was  rich 
as  Crcesus,  which  I  am  not,  as  is  perfectly  well  under- 
stood, more  particularly  among  my  creditors.  There's 
another  humbug  —  the  credit  system  —  humbug,  sir ; 
no  credit  —  no  debt.  Credit  leads  a  man  into  tempta- 
tion. Cash  down  is  the  only  thing  that  will  deliver 
him  from  evil.  But  this  question  of  Slavery  •  what 
right  have  you  to  your  niggers  when  you  come  down 
to  the  point  ?  " 

"  What  right ! "  said  Epps,  laughing  ;  "  why,  I 
bought  'em,  and  paid  for  'em." 

Of  course  you  did  ;  the  law  says  you  have  the  right 
to  hold  a  nigger,  but  begging  the  law's  pardon,  it 
lies.  Yes,  Epps,  when  the  law  says  that  it's  a  liar, 
and  the  truth  is  not  in  it.  Is  every  thing  right  be- 
cause the  law  allows  it  ?  Suppose  they'd  pass  a  law 
taking  away  your  liberty  and  making  you  a  slave  ?" 

"  Oh,  that  ain't  a  supposable  case,"  said  Epps,  still 
laughing ;  "  hope  you  don't  compare  me  to  a  nigger, 
Bass." 

"  "Well,"  Bass  answered  gravely,  "  no,  not  exactly. 
But  I  have  seen  niggers  before  now  as  good  as  I  am, 
and  I  have  no  acquaintance  with  any  white  man  in 
these  parts  that  I  consider  a  whit  better  than  myself. 
Now,  in  the  sight  of  God,  what  is  the  difference, 
Epps,.  between  a  white  man  and  a  black  one  ?" 

"  All  the  difference  in  the  world,"  replied  Epps. 
<:  You  might  as  well  ask  what  the  difference  is  be- 


DISCUSSION  ON   SLAVERY.  267 

tween  a  white  man  and  a  baboon.  Now,  I've  seen 
one  of  them  critters  in  Orleans  that  knowed  just  as 
mich  as  any  nigger  I've  got.  Yon'd  call  them  feller 
citizens,  I  s'pose  % "  —  and  Epps  indulged  in  a  loud 
laugh  at  his  own  wit. 

"  Look  here,  Epps,"  continued  his  companion  ;  "  you 
can't  laugh  me  down  in  that  way.  Some  men  are 
witty,  and  some  ain't  so  witty  as  they  think  they  are. 
Now  let  me  ask  you  a  question.  Are  all  men  created 
free  and  equal  as  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
holds  they  are  ? " 

"  Yes,"  responded  Epps,  "  but  all  men,  niggers,  and 
monkeys  ain't ; "  and  hereupon  he  broke  forth  into  a 
more  boisterous  laugh  than  before. 

"  There  are  monkeys  among  white  people  as  well 
as  black,  when  you  come  to  that,"  coolly  remarked 
Bass.  "I  know  some  white  men  that  use  arguments 
no  sensible  monkey  would.  But  let  that  pass.  These 
niggers  are  human  beings.  If  they  don't  know  as 
much  as  their  masters,  whose  fault  is  it  ?  They  are 
not  allowed  to  know  anything.  You  have  books  and 
papers,  and  can  go  where  you  please,  and  gather 
intelligence  in  a  thousand  ways.  But  your  slaves 
have  no  privileges.  You'd  whip  one  of  them  if 
caught  reading  a  book.  They  are  held  in  bondage, 
generation  after  generation,  deprived  of  mental  im- 
provement, and  who  can  expect  them  to  possess  much 
knowledge  ?  If  they  are  not  brought  down  to  a  level 
with  the  brute  creation,  you  slaveholders  will  never 
be  blamed  for  it.     If  they  are  baboons,  or  stand  no 


268  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

higher  in  the  scale  of  intelligence  than  such  animals, 
yon  and  men  like  you  will  have  to  answer  for  it. 
There's  a  sin,  a  fearful  sin,  resting  on  this  nation,  thai 
will  not  go  unpunished  forever.  There  will  be  a 
reckoning  yet  —  yes,  Epps,  there's  a  clay  coming  that 
will  burn  as  an  oven.  It  may  be  sooner  or  it  may  be 
later,  but  it's  a  coming  as  sure  as  the  Lord  is  just." 

"  If  you  lived  up  among  the  Yankees  in  New- 
England,"  said  Ej3ps,  "  I  expect  you'd  be  one  of  them 
cursed  fanatics  that  know  more  than  the  constitution, 
and  go  about  peddling  clocks  and  coaxing  niggers 
to  run  away." 

"  If  I  was  in  New-England,"  returned  Bass,  "  I 
would  be  just  what  I  am  here.  I  would  say  that 
Slavery  was  an  iniquity,  and  ought  to  be  abolished. 
I  would  say  there  was  no  reason  nor  justice  in  the 
law,  or  the  constitution  that  allows  one  man  to  hold 
another  man  in  bondage.  It  would  be  hard  for  you 
to  lose  your  property,  to  be  sure,  but  it  wouldn't  be 
half  as  hard  as  it  would  be  to  lose  your  liberty.  You 
have  no  more  right  to  your  freedom,  in  exact  justice, 
than  Uncle  Abram  yonder.  Talk  about  black  skin, 
and  black  blood  ;  why,  how  many  slaves  are  there  on 
this  bayou  as  white  as  either  of  us  ?  And  what  dif- 
ference is  there  in  the  color  of  the  soul  ?  Pshaw  !  the 
whole  system  is  as  absurd  as  it  is  cruel.  You  may 
own  niggers  and  behanged,  but  I  wouldn't  own  one 
for  the  best  plantation  in  Louisiana." 

"  You  like  to  hear  yourself  talk,  Bass,  better  than 
any  man  I  know  of.     You  would  argue  that  black  was 


CONVERSATION   WITH   BASS.  269 

white,  or  white  black,  if  any  body  would  contradict 
you.  Nothing  suits  you  in  this  world,  and  I  don't 
believe  you  will  be  satisfied  with  the  next,  if  you 
should  have  your  choice  in  them." 

Conversations  substantially  like  the  foregoing  were 
not  unusual  between  the  two  after  this  ;  Epps  drawing 
him  out  more  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a  laugh  at 
his  expense,  than  with  a  view  of  fairly  discussing  the 
merits  of  the  question.  He  looked  upon  Bass,  as  a 
man  ready  to  say  anything  merely  for  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  his  own  voice ;  as  somewhat  self-conceited, 
perhaps,  contending  against  his  faith  and  judgment, 
in  order,  simply,  to  exhibit  his  dexterity  in  argumen- 
tation. 

He  remained  at  Epps'  through  the  summer,  visiting 
Marksville  generally  once  a  fortnight.  The  more  I 
saw  of  him,  the  more  I  became  convinced  he  was  a 
man  in  whom  I  could  confide.  Nevertheless,  my 
previous  ill-fortune  had  taught  me  to  be  extremely 
cautious.  It  was  not  my  place  to  speak  to  a  white 
man  except  when  spoken  to,  but  I  omitted  no  oppor- 
tunity of  throwing  myself  in  his  way,  and  endeavored 
constantly  in  every  possible  manner  to  attract  his 
attention.  In  the  early  part  of  August  he  and  my- 
self were  at  work  alone  in  the  house,  the  other  car- 
penters having  left,  and  Epps  being  absent  in  the 
field.  Now  was  the  time,  if  ever,  to  broach  the  sub- 
ject, and  I  resolved  to  do  it,  and  submit  to  whatever 
consequences  might  ensue.  We  were  busily  at  work 
in  the  afternoon,  when  I  stopped  suddenly  and  said  — ■ 


270  TWELVE  TEAKS    A    SLAVE. 

"  Master  Bass,  I  want  to  ask  you  what  part  of  the 
country  you  came  from  ?" 

"  "Why,  Piatt,  what  put  that  into  your  head  ? "  he 
answered.  "  You  wouldn't  know  if  I  should  tell  you." 
After  a  moment  or  two  he  added — "I  was  born  in 
Canada ;  now  guess  where  that  is." 

"  Oh,  I  know  where  Canada  is,"  said  I,  "I  have 
been  there  myself." 

"  Yes,  I  expect  you  are  well  acquainted  all  through 
that  country,"  he  remarked,  laughing  incredulously. 

"As  sure  as  I  live,  Master  Bass,"  I  replied,  "  I  have 
been  there.  I  have  been  in  Montreal  and  Kingston, 
and  Queenston,  and  a  great  many  places  in  Canada, 
and  I  have  been  in  York  State,  too  —  in  Buffalo,  and 
Rochester,  and  Albany,  and  can  tell  you  the  names 
of  the  villages  on  the  Erie  canal  and  the  Champlain 
canal." 

Bass  turned  round  and  gazed  at  me  a  long  time 
without  uttering  a  syllable. 

"How  came  you  here?"  he  inquired,  at  length, 
"Master  Bass,"  I  answered,  "if  justice  had  been 
done,  I  never  would  have  been  here." 

"  "Well,  how's  this  ? "  said  he.  "  Who  are  you  ?  You 
have  been  in  Canada  sure  enough ;  I  know  all  the 
places  you  mention.  How  did  you  happen  to  get 
here  ?    Come,  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"  I  have  no  friends  here,"  was  my  reply,  "  that  I 
can  put  confidence  in.  I  am  afraid  to  tell  you, 
though  I  don't  believe  you  would  tell  Master  Epps  if 
I  should." 


bass'  assurances.  271 

He  assured  me  earnestly  he  would  keep  every  word 
I  might  speak  to  him  a  profound  secret,  and  his  curi- 
osity was  evidently  strongly  excited.  It  was  a  long 
story,  I  informed  him,  and  would  take  some  time  to 
relate  it.  Master  Epps  would  be  back  soon,  but  if  he 
would  see  me  that  night  after  all  were  asleep,  I  would 
repeat  it  to  him.  He  consented  readily  to  the  ar- 
rangement, and  directed  me  to  come  into  the  building 
where  we  were  then  at  work,  and  I  would  find  him 
there.  About  midnight,  when  all  was  still  and  quiet, 
I  crept  cautiously  from  my  cabin,  and  silently  enter- 
ing the  unfinished  building,  found  him  awaiting  me. 

After  further  assurances  on  his  part  that  I  should 
not  be  betrayed,  I  began  a  relation  of  the  history  of 
my  life  and  misfortunes.  He  was  deeply  interested, 
asking  numerous  questions  in  reference  to  localities 
and  events.  Having  ended  my  story  I  besought  him 
to  write  to  some  of  my  friends  at  the  North,  acquaint- 
ing them  with  my  situation,  and  begging  them  to  for- 
ward free  papers,  or  take  such  steps  as  they  might 
consider  proper  to  secure  my  release.  He  promised 
to  do  so,  but  dwelt  upon  the  danger  of  such  an  act  in 
case  of  detection,  and  now  impressed  upon  me  the 
great  necessity  of  strict  silence  and  secresy.  Before 
we  parted  our  plan  of  operation  was  arranged. 

"We  agreed  to  meet  the  next  night  at  a  specified 
place  among  the  high  weeds  on  the  bank  of  the  bayou, 
some  distance  from  master's  dwelling.  There  he  was 
to  write  down  on  paper  the  names  and  address  of  sev- 
eral persons,  old  friends  in  the  North,  to  whom  he 


272  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

would  direct  letters  during  his  next  visit  to  Marks- 
ville.  It  was  not  deemed  prudent  to  meet  in  the  new 
house,  inasmuch  as  the  light  it  would  be  necessary  to 
use  might  possibly  be  discovered.  In  the  course  of 
the  day  I  managed  to  obtain  a  few  matches  and  a 
piece  of  candle,  unperceivecl,  from  the  kitchen,  during 
a  temporary  absence  of  Aunt  Phebe.  Bass  had  pen- 
cil and  paper  in  his  tool  chest. 

At  the  appointed  hour  we  met  on  the  bayou  bank, 
and  creeping  among  the  high  weeds,  I  lighted  the 
candle,  while  he  drew  forth  pencil  and  paper  and  pre- 
pared for  business.  I  gave  him  the  names  of  Wil- 
liam Perry,  Cephas  Parker  and  Judge  Marvin,  all  of 
Saratoga  Springs,  Saratoga  county,  New- York.  I  had 
been  employed  by  the  latter  in  the  United  States 
Hotel,  and  had  transacted  business  with  the  former  to 
a  considerable  extent,  and  trusted  that  at  least  one  of 
them  would  be  still  living  at  that  place.  He  care- 
fully wrote  the  names,  and  then  remarked,  thought- 
fully- 

"It  is  so  many  years  since  you  left  Saratoga,  all 
these  men  may  be  dead,  or  may  have  removed.  You 
say  you  obtained  papers  at  the  custom  house  in  ISTew- 
York.  Probably  there  is  a  record  of  them  there,  and 
I  think  it  would  be  well  to  write  and  ascertain." 

I  agreed  with  him,  and  again  repeated  the  circum 
stances  related  heretofore,  Connected  with  my  visit  tz 
the  custom  house  with  Brown  and  Hamilton.  We 
lingered  on  the  bank  of  the  bayou  an  hour  or  more, 
conversing  upon  the  subject  which  now  engrossed  our 


MY  FAITH   m  BASS,  273 

thoughts.  I  could  no  longer  doubt  his  fidelity,  and 
freely  spoke  to  him  of  the  many  sorrows  I  had  borne 
in  silence,  and  so  long.  I  spoke  of  my  wife  and  chil- 
dren, mentioning  their  names  and  ages,  and  dwelling 
upon  the  unspeakable  happiness  it  would  be  to  clasp 
them  to  my  heart  once  more  before  I  died.  I  caught 
him  by  the  hand,  and  with  tears  and  passionate  en- 
treaties implored  him  to  befriend  me  —  to  restore  me 
to  my  kindred  and  to  liberty — promising  I  would  weary 
Heaven  the  remainder  of  my  life  with  prayers  that  it 
would  bless  and  prosper  him.  In  the  enjoyment  of 
freedom  —  surrounded  by  the  associations  of  youth, 
and  restored  to  the  bosom  of  my  family  —  that  prom- 
ise is  not  yet  forgotten,  nor  shall  it  ever  be  so  long  as 
I  have  strength  to  raise  my  imploring  eyes  on  high. 

"  Oh,  blessings  on  his  kindly  voice  and  on  his  silver  hair, 
And  blessings  on  his  whole  life  long,  until  he  meet  me  there." 

He  overwhelmed  me  with  assurances  of  friendship 
and  faithfulness,  saying  he  had  never  before  taken  so 
deep  an  interest  in  the  fate  of  any  one.  He  spoke  of 
himself  in  a  somewhat  mournful  tone,  as  a  lonely 
man,  a  wanderer  about  the  world  —  that  he  was 
growing,  old,  and  must  soon  reach  the  end  of  his 
earthly  journey,  and  lie  down  to  his  final  rest  with- 
out kith  or  kin  to  mourn  for  him,  or  to  remember 
him  —  that  his  life  was  of  little  value  to  himself,  and 
henceforth  should  be  devoted  to  the  accomplishment 
of  my  liberty,  and  to  an  unceasing  warfare  against 

the  accursed  shame  of  Slavery. 

L*  na 


£74  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

After  this  time  we  seldom  spoke  to,  or  recognized 
each  other.  He  was,  moreover,  less  free  in  his  con- 
versation with  Epps  on  the  subject  of  Slavery.  The 
remotest  suspicion  that  there  was  any  unusual  intima- 
cy—  any  secret  understanding  between  us  —  never 
once  entered  the  mind  of  Epps,  or  any  other  person, 
white  or  black,  on  the  plantation. 

I  am  often  asked,  with  an  air  of  incredulity,  how  I 
succeeded  so  many  years  in  keeping  from  my  daily 
and  constant  companions  the  knowledge  of  my  true 
name  and  history.  The  terrible  lesson  Burch  taught 
me,  impressed  indelibly  upon  my  mind  the  danger 
and  uselessness  of  asserting  I  was  a  freeman.  There 
was  no  possibility  of  any  slave  being  able  to  assist 
me,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  there  was  a  possibility 
of  his  exposing  me.  When  it  is  recollected  the  whole 
current  of  my  thoughts,  for  twelve  years,  turned  to  the 
contemplation  of  escape,  it  will  not  be  wondered  at, 
that  I  was  always  cautious  and  on  my  guard.  It 
woidd  have  been  an  act  of  folly  to  have  proclaimed 
my  right  to  freedom  ;  it  would  only  have  subjected 
me  to  severer  scrutiny  —  probably  have  consigned  me 
to  some  more  distant  and  inaccessible  region  than 
even  Bayou  Bceuf.  Edwin  Epps  was  a  person  utter- 
ly regardless  of  a  black  man's  rights  or  wrongs  —  ut- 
terly destitute  of  any  natural  sense  of  justice,  as  1 
well  knew.  It  was  important,  therefore,  not  only  as 
regarded  my  hope  of  deliverance,  but  also  as  regard- 
ed the  few  personal  priviliges  I  was  permitted  to  en- 
joy, to  keep  from  him  the  history  of  my  life. 


LETTER   TO   PEEEY   AJSTD   PAEKEE.  2T5 

The  Saturday  night  subsequent  to  our  interview  at 
the  water's  edge,  Bass  went  home  to  Marksville.  The 
next  day,  being  Sunday,  he  employed  himself  in  his 
own  room  writing  letters.  One  he  directed  to  the 
Collector  of  Customs  at  J^ew-Youk,  another  to  Judge 
Marvin,  and  another  to  Messrs.  Parker  and  Perry  joint- 
ly. The  latter  was  the  one  which  led  to  my  recovery. 
He  subscribed  my  true  name,  but  in  the  postscript  in- 
timated I  was  not  the  writer.  The  letter  itself  shows 
that  he  considered  himself  engaged  in  a  dangerous 
undertaking  —  no  less  than  running  "the  risk  of  his 
life,  if  detected."  I  did  not  see  the  letter  before  it  was 
mailed,  but  have  since  obtained  a  copy,  which  is  here 
inserted : 

"  Bayou  Boeuf,  August  15,  1852. 
"  Mr.  William  Perry  or  Mr.  Cephas  Parker  : 

"  Gentlemen — It  having  been  a  long  time  since  I  have  seen 
or  heard  from  you,  and  not  knowing  that  you  are  living,  it  is 
with  uncertainty  that  I  write  to  you,  but  the  necessity  of  the 
case  must  be  my  excuse. 

"  Having  been  born  free,  just  across  the  river  from  you,  I  am. 
certain  you  must  know  me,  and  I  am  here  now  a  slave.  I  wish 
you  to  obtain  free  papers  for  me,  and  forward  them  to  me  at 
Marksville,  Louisiana,  Parish  of  Avoyelles,  and  oblige 

"Yours,        SOLOMON  NORTHUP. 

"  The  way  I  came  to  be  a  slave,  I  was  taken  sick  in  Washing- 
ton City,  and  was  insensible  for  some  time.  When  I  recover- 
ed my  reason,  I  was  robbed  of  my  free-papers,  and  in  irons  on 
my  way  to  this  State,  and  have  never  been  able  to  get  any  one 
to  write  for  me  until  now ;  and  he  that  is  writing  for  me  runs 
the  risk  of  his  life  if  detected." 


276  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

The  allusion  to  myself  in  the  work  recently  issued, 
entitled  "  A  Key  to  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  contains  the 
first  part  of  this  letter,  omitting  the  postscript.  Nei- 
ther are  the  full  names  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  it 
is  directed  correctly  stated,  there  being  a  slight  dis- 
crepancy, probably  a  typographical  error.  To  the 
postscript  more  than  to  the  body  of  the  communica- 
tion am  I  indebted  for  my  liberation,  as  will  present- 
ly be  seen. 

When  Bass  returned  from  Marksville  he  informed 
me  of  what  he  had  done.  We  continued  our  mid- 
night consultations,  never  speaking  to  each  other 
through  the  day,  excepting  as  it  was  necessary  about 
the  work.  As  nearly  as  he  was  able  to  ascertain,  it 
would  require  two  weeks  for  the  letter  to  reach  Sara- 
toga in  due  course  of  mail,  and  the  same  length  of 
time  for  an  answer  to  return.  Within  six  weeks,  at 
the  farthest,  we  concluded,  an  answer  would  arrive,  if 
it  arrived  at  all.  A  great  many  suggestions  were 
now  made,  and  a  great  deal  of  conversation  took  place 
between  us,  as  to  the  most  safe  and  proper  course  to 
pursue  on  receipt  of  the  free  papers.  They  would 
stand  between  him  and  harm,  in  case  we  were  over- 
taken and  arrested  leaving  the  country  altogether.  It 
would  be  no  infringement  of  law,  however  much  it 
might  provoke  individual  hostility,  to  assist  a  freeman 
to  regain  his  freedom. 

At  the  end  of  four  weeks  he  was  again  at  Marks- 
ville, but  no  answer  had  arrived.  I  was  sorely  disap- 
pointed, but  still  reconciled  myself  with  the  reflection 


BASS  EXDEAVOES  TO  CHEER  ME-        277 

that  sufficient  length,  of  time  had  not  yet  elapsed  — 
that  there  might  have  been  delays  —  and  that  I  could 
not  reasonably  expect  one  so  soon.  Six,  seven,  eight, 
and  ten  weeks  passed  by,  however,  and  nothing  came. 
I  was  in  a  fever  of  suspense  whenever  Bass  visited 
Marksville,  and  could  scarcely  close  my  eyes  until  his 
return.  Finally  my  master's  house  was  finished,  and 
the  time  came  when  Bass  must  leave  me.  The  night 
before  his  departure  I  was  wholly  given  up  to  despair. 
I  had  clung  to  him  as  a  drowning  man  clings  to  the 
floating  spar,  knowing  if  it  slips  from  his  grasp  he 
must  forever  sink  beneath  the  waves.  The  all-glorious 
hope,  upon  which  I  had  laid  such  eager  hold,  was 
crumbling  to  ashes  in  my  hands.  I  felt  as  if  sinking 
down,  down,  amidst  the  bitter  waters  of  Slavery,  from 
the  unfathomable  depths  of  which  I  should  never 
rise  again. 

The  generous  heart  of  my  friend  and  benefactor  was 
touched  with  pity  at  the  sight  of  my  distress.  He  en- 
deavored to  cheer  me  up,  promising  to  return  the  day 
before  Christmas,  and  if  no  intelligence  was  received 
in  the  meantime,  some  further  step  would  be  under- 
taken to  effect  our  design.  He  exhorted  me  to  keep 
up  my  spirits — to  rely  upon^his  continued  efforts  in 
my  behalf,  assuring  me,  in  most  earnest  and  impres- 
sive language,  that  my  liberation  should,  from  thence- 
forth, be  the  chief  object  of  his  thoughts. 

In  his  absence  the  time  passed  slowly  indeed.  I 
looked  forward  to  Christmas  with  intense  anxiety  and 
impatience.    I  had  about  given  up  the  expectation  of 


278  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

receiving  any  answer  to  the  letters.  They  might  have 
miscarried,  or  might  have  been  misdirected.  Perhaps 
those  at  Saratoga,  to  whom  they  had  been  addressed, 
were  all  dead ;  perhaps,  engaged  in  their  pursuits, 
they  did  not  consider  the  fate  of  an  obscure,  unhappy 
black  man  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  noticed.  My 
whole  reliance  was  in  Bass.  The  faith  I  had  in  him 
was  continually  re-assuring  me,  and  enabled  me  to 
stand  up  against  the  tide  of  disappointment  that  had 
overwhelmed  me. 

So  wholly  was  I  absorbed  in  reflecting  upon  my  sit- 
uation and  prospects,  that  the  hands  with  whom  I  la- 
bored in  the  field  often  observed  it.  Patsey  would 
ask  me  if  I  was  sick,  and  Uncle  Abram,  and  Bob,  and 
"Wiley  frequently  expressed  a  curiosity  to  know  what 
I  could  be  thinking  about  so  steadily.  But  I  evaded 
their  inquiries  with  some  light  remark,  and  kept  my 
thoughts  locked  closely  in  my  breast. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BASS    FAITHFUL  TO  HIS  WORD HIS  ARRIVAL  ON  CHRISTMAS  EVE THE  DIF- 
FICULTY  OF    OBTAINING    AN    INTERVIEW THE  MEETING  IN  THE  CABIN 

NON- ARRIVAL  OF  THE  LETTER BASS  ANNOUNCES    HIS    INTENTION   TO  PRO- 
CEED   NORTH CHRISTMAS CONVERSATION    BETWEEN  EPPS  AND  BASS 

YOUNG  MISTRESS  m'cOY,  THE  BEAUTY    OF    BAYOU   BCEUF THE    "NE   PLUS 

ULTRA"  OF  DINNERS MUSIC  AND  DANCING PRESENCE  OF  THE  MISTRESS 

HER  EXCEEDING  BEAUTY THE  LAST  SLAVE  DANCE WILLIAM   PIERCE 

OVERSLEEP  MYSELF THE  LAST  WHIPPING DESPONDENCY THE  COLD 

MORNING EPPS'     THREATS THE    PASSING   CARRIAGE STRANGERS    AP- 
PROACHING  THROUGH    THE   COTTON-FIELD LAST  HOUR   ON    BAYOU    BCEUF. 

Faithful  to  his  word,  the  day  before  Christmas,  just 
at  night-fall,  Bass  came  riding  into  the  yard. 

"How  are  you,"  said  Epps,  shaking  him  by  the 
hand,  "  glad  to  see  you." 

He  would  not  have  been  very  glad  had  he  known 
the  object  of  his  errand. 

"Quite  well,  quite  well,"  answered  Bass.  "Had 
some  business  out  on  the  bayou,  and  concluded  to  call 
and  see  you,  and  stay  over  night." 

Epps  ordered  one  of  the  slaves  to  take  charge  of 
his  horse,  and  with  much  talk  and  laughter  they  pass- 
ed into  the  house  together  ;  not,  however,  until  Bass 
bad  looked  at  me  significantly,  as  much  as  to  say, 


2S0  TWELVE  TEAES   A   SLAVE. 

"  Keep  dark,  we  understand  each  other."  It  was  ten 
o'clock  at  night  before  the  labors  of  the  day  were  per- 
formed, when  I  entered  the  cabin.  At  that  time  Un- 
cle Abram  and  Bob  occupied  it  with  me.  I  laid 
down  upon  my  board  and  feigned  I  was  asleep. 
When  my  companions  had  fallen  into  a  profound 
slumber,  I  moved  stealthily  out  of  the  door,  and  watch- 
ed, and  listened  attentively  for  some  sign  or  sound 
from  Bass.  There  I  stood  until  long  after  midnight, 
but  nothing  could  be  seen  or  heard.  As  I  suspected, 
he  dared  not  leave  the  house,  through  fear  of  exciting 
the  suspicion  of  some  of  the  family.  I  judged,  correct- 
y,  he  would  rise  earlier  than  was  his  custom,  and 
take  the  opportunity  of  seeing  me  before  Epps  was 
up.  Accordingly  I  aroused  Uncle  Abram  an  horn* 
sooner  than  usual,  and  sent  him  into  the  house  to  build 
a  fire,  which,  at  that  season  of  the  year,  is  a  part  of 
Uncle  Abram's  duties. 

I  also  gave  Bob  a  violent  shake,  and  asked  him  if 
he  intended  to  sleep  till  noon,  saying  master  would  be 
up  before  the  mules  were  fed.  He  knew  right  well 
the  consequence  that  would  follow  such  an  event,  and, 
jumping  to  his  feet,  was  at  the  horse-pasture  in  a 
twinkling. 

Presently,  when  both  were  gone,  Bass  slipped  into 
the  cabin. 

"  No  letter  yet,  Piatt,"  said  he.  The  announce- 
ment fell  upon  my  heart  like  lead. 

"  Oh,  do  write  again,  Master  Bass,"  I  cried ;  "  I 
will  give  you  the  names  of  a  great  many  I  know. 


THE   MEETING   TN   THE   CABIN.  281 

Surely  they  are  not  all  dead.  Surely  some  one  will 
pity  me." 

"  ]STo  use,"  Bass  replied,  "no  use.  I  have  made  up 
my  mind  to  that.  I  fear  the  Marksville  post-master 
will  mistrust  something,  I  have  inquired  so  often  at 
his  office.     Too  uncertain  —  too  dangerous." 

"  Then  it  is  all  over,"  I  exclaimed.  "  Oh,  my  God, 
how  can  I  end  my  days  here  !" 

"  You're  not  going  to  end  them  here,"  he  said,  "  un- 
less you  die  very  soon.  I've  thought  this  matter  all 
over,  and  have  come  to  a  determination.  There  are 
more  ways  than  one  to  manage  this  business,  and  a 
better  and  surer  way  than  writing  letters.  I  have  a 
job  or  two  on  hand  which  can  be  completed  by  March 
or  April.  By  that  time  I  shall  have  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  and  then,  Piatt,  I  am  going  to  Sarato- 
ga myself." 

I  could  scarcely  credit  my  own  senses  as  the  words 
fell  from  his  lips.  But  he  assured  me,  in  a  manner 
that  left  no  doubt  of  the  sincerity  of  his  intention,  that 
if  his  life  was  spared  until  spring,  he  should  certainly 
undertake  the  journey. 

"  I  have  lived  in  this  region  long  enough,"  he  con- 
tinued ;  "  I  may  as  well  be  in  one  place  as  another. 
For  a  long  time  I  have  been  thinking  of  going  back 
once  more  to  the  place  where  I  was  born.  I'm  tired 
of  Slavery  as  well  as  you.  If  I  can  succeed  in  getting 
you  away  from  here,  it  will  be  a  good  act  that  I  shall 
like  to  think  of  all  my  life.     And  I  shall  succeed, 


282  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

Piatt ;  I'm  hound  to  do  it.  Now  let  me  tell  you  what 
I  want.  Epps  will  be  up  soon,  and  it  won't  do  to  be 
caught  here.  Think  of  a  great  many  men  at  Sarato- 
ga and  Sandy  Hill,  and  in  that  neighborhood,  who 
once  knew  you.  I  shall  make  excuse  to  come  here 
again  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  when  I  will  write 
down  their  names.  I  will  then  know  who  to  call  on 
when  I  go  north.  Think  of  all  you  can.  Cheer  up  ! 
Don't  be  discouraged.  I'm  with  you,  life  or  death. 
Good-bye.  God  bless  you,"  and  saying  this  he  left 
the  cabin  quickly,  and  entered  the  great  house. 

It  was  Christmas  morning  —  the  happiest  day  in  the 
whole  year  for  the  slave.  That  morning  he  need  not 
hurry  to  the  field,  with  his  gourd  and  cotton-bag. 
Happiness  sparkled  in  the  eyes  and  overspread  the 
countenances  of  all.  The  time  of  feasting  and  dancing 
had  come.  The  cane  and  cotton  fields  were  deserted. 
That  day  the  clean  dress  was  t®  be  donned  —  the  red 
ribbon  displayed ;  there  were  to  be  re-unions,  and 
joy  and  laughter,  and  hurrying  to  and  fro.  It  was 
to  be  a  day  of  liberty  among  the  children  of  Slavery. 
Wherefore  they  were  happy,  and  rejoiced. 

After  breakfast  Epps  and  Bass  sauntered  about  the 
yard,  conversing  upon  the  price  of  cotton,  and  va- 
rious other  topics. 

"Where  do  your  niggers  hold  Christmas  ?"  Bass  in- 
quired. 

"Piatt  is  going  to  Tanners  to-day.  His  fiddle  is 
in  great  demand.    They  want  him  at  Marshall's  Mon- 


ErPS'    COVEKSATTON   WITH   BASS.  283 

day,  and  Miss  Maiy  McCoy,  on  tlie  old  Norwood 
plantation,  writes  me  a  note  that  she  wants  him  to 
play  for  her  niggers  Tuesday." 

"  He  is  rather  a  smart  boy,  ain't  he  ?"  said  Bass. 
"  Come  here,  Piatt,"  he  added,  looking  at  me  as  I 
walked  up  to  them,  as  if  he  had  never  thought  before 
to  take  any  special  notice  of  me. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Epps,  taking  hold  of  my  arm  and 
feeling  it,  "  there  isn't  a  bad  joint  in  him.  There  ain't 
a  boy  on  the  bayou  worth  more  than  he  is  —  perfect- 
ly sound,  and  no  bad  tricks.  D — n  him,  he  isn't  like 
other  niggers  ;  doesn't  look  like  'em  —  don't  act  like 
'em.  I  was  offered  seventeen  hundred  dollars  for  him 
last  week." 

"  And  didn't  take  it  ?"  Bass  inquired,  with  an  air 
of  surprise. 

"  Take  it  —  no ;  devilish  clear  of  it.  Why,  he's  a 
reg'lar  genius ;  can  make  a  plough  beam,  wagon 
tongue  —  anything,  as  well  as  you  can.  Marshall 
wanted  to  put  up  one  of  his  niggers  agin  him  and  raf- 
fle for  them,  but  I  told  him  I  would  see  the  devil  have 
him  first." 

"  I  don't  see  anything  remarkable  about  him,"  Bass 
observed. 

"  "Why,  just  feel  of  him,  now,"  Epps  rejoined. 
"  You  don't  see  a  boy  very  often  put  together  any 
closer  than  he  is.  He's  a  thin-skin'd  cuss,  and  won't 
bear  as  much  whipping  as  some ;  but  he's  got  the 
muscle  in  him,  and  no  mistake. 

Bass  felt  of  me,  turned  me  round,  and  made  a 


284:  TWELVE  TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

thorough  examination,  Epps  all  the  while  dwelling  on 
my  good  points.  But  his  visitor  seemed  to  take  but 
little  interest  finally  in  the  subject,  and  consequently 
it  was  dropped.  Bass  soon  departed,  giving  me  an- 
other sly  look  of  recognition  and  significance,  as  he 
trotted  out  of  the  yard. 

When  he  was  gone  I  obtained  a  pass,  and  started 
for  Tanner's  —  not  Peter  Tanner's,  of  whom  mention 
has  previously  been  made,  but  a  relative  of  his.  I 
played  during  the  day  and  most  of  the  night,  spend- 
ing the  next  day,  Sunday,  in  my  cabin.  Monday  I 
crossed  the  bayou  to  Douglas  Marshall's,  all  Epps' 
slaves  accompanying  me,  and  on  Tuesday  went  to  the 
old  Norwood  place,  which  is  the  third  plantation 
above  Marshall's,  on  the  same  side  of  the  water. 

This  estate  is  now  owned  hj  Miss  Mary  McCoy,  a 
lovely  girl,  some  twenty  years  of  age.  She  is  the  beau- 
ty and  the  glory  of  Bayou  Bceuf.  She  owns  about  a 
hundred  working  hands,  besides  a  great  many  house 
servants,  yard  boys,  and  young  children.  Her  broth- 
er-in-law, who  resides  on  the  adjoining  estate,  is  her 
general  agent.  She  is  beloved  by  all  her  slaves,  and 
good  reason  indeed  have  they  to  be  thankful  that  they 
have  fallen  into  such  gentle  hands.  Nowhere  on  the 
bayou  are  there  such  feasts,  such  merrymaking,  as  at 
young  Madam  McCoy's.  Thither,  more  than  to  any 
other  place,  do  the  old  and  the  young  for  miles  around 
love  to  repair  in  the  time  of  the  Christmas  holidays  ; 
for  nowhere  else  can  they  find  such  delicious  repasts ; 
nowhere  else  can  they  hear  a  voice  speaking  to  them 


CHRISTMAS   DINNER.  285 

bo  pleasantly.  ISTo  one  is  so  well  beloved  —  no  one 
fills  so  large  a  space  in  the  hearts  of  a  thousand  slaves, 
as  young  Madam  McCoy,  the  orphan  mistress  of  the 
old  Norwood  estate. 

On  my  arrival  at  her  place,  I  found  two  or  three 
hundred  had  assembled.  The  table  was  prepared  in 
a  long  building,  which  she  had  erected  expressly  for 
her  slaves  to  dance  in.  It  was  covered  with  every 
variety  of  food  the  country  afforded,  and  was  pro- 
nounced by  general  acclamation  to  be  the  rarest  of 
dinners.  Roast  turkey,  pig,  chicken,  duck,  and  all 
kinds  of  meat,  baked,  boiled,  and  broiled,  formed  a 
line  the  whole  length  of  the  extended  table,  while  the 
vacant  spaces  were  filled  with  tarts,  jellies,  and  frost- 
ed cake,  and  pastry  of  many  kinds.  The  young  mis- 
tress walked  around  the  table,  smiling  and  saying  a 
kind  word  to  each  one,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  scene 
exceedingly. 

When  the  dinner  was  over  the  tables  were  remov- 
ed to  make  room  for  the  dancers.  I  tuned  my  violin 
and  struck  up  a  lively  air ;  while  some  joined  in  a 
nimble  reel,  others  patted  and  sang  their  simple  but 
melodious  songs,  filling  the  great  room  with  music 
mingled  with  the  sound  of  human  voices  and  the  clat- 
ter of  many  feet. 

In  the  evening  the  mistress  returned,  and  stood  in 
the  door  a  long  time,  looking  at  us.  She  was  magnifi- 
cently arrayed  Her  dark  hair  and  eyes  contrasted 
strongly  with  her  clear  and  delicate  complexion. 
Her  form  was  slender  but   commanding,  and  her 


286  TWELVE   TEAES   A   SLAVE. 

movement  was  a  combination  of  unaffected  dignity 
and  grace.  As  she  stood  there,  clad  in  her  rich  ap- 
parel, her  face  animated  with  pleasure,  I  thought  I  had 
never  looked  upon  a  human  being  half  so  beautiful. 
I  dwell  with  delight  upon  the  description  of  this  fair 
and  gentle  lady,  not  only  because  she  inspired  me 
with  emotions  of  gratitude  and  admiration,  but  be- 
cause I  would  have  the  reader  understand  that  all 
slave-owners  on  Bayou  Bceuf  are  not  like  Epps,  or 
Tibeats,  or  Jim  Burns.  Occasionally  can  be  found, 
rarely  it  may  be,  indeed,  a  good  man  like  "William 
Ford,  or  an  angel  of  kindness  like  young  Mistress 
McCoy. 

Tuesday  concluded  the  three  holidays  Epps  yearly 
allowed  us.  On  my  way  home,  Wednesday  morning, 
while  passing  the  plantation  of  William  Pierce,  that 
gentleman  hailed  me,  saying  he  had  received  a  line 
from  Epps,  brought  down  by  William  Yarnell,  per- 
mitting him  to  detain  me  for  the  purpose  of  playing 
for  his  slaves  that  night.  It  was  the  last  time  I  was 
destined  to  witness  a  slave  dance  on  the  shores  of  Ba- 
you Bceuf.  The  party  at  Pierce's  continued  their  jol- 
lification until  broad  daylight,  when  I  returned  to  my 
master's  house,  somewhat  wearied  with  the  loss  of 
rest,  but  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  numerous  bits 
and  picayunes,  which  the  whites,  who  were  pleased 
with  my  musical  performances,  had  contributed. 

On  Saturday  morning,  for  the  first  time  in  years,  I 
overslept  myself.  I  was  frightened  on  coming  out  of 
the  cabin  to  find  the  slaves  were  already  in  the  field. 


THE   LAST  WHIPPING.  287 

They  had  preceded  me  some  fifteen  minutes.  Leav- 
ing my  dinner  and  water-gourd,  I  hurried  after  them 
as  fast  as  I  could  move.  It  was  not  yet  sunrise,  but 
Epps  was  on  the  piazza  as  I  left  the  hut,  and  cried  out 
to  me  that  it  was  a  pretty  time  of  day  to  be  getting 
up.  By  extra  exertion  my  row  was  up  when  he  came 
out  after  breakfast.  This,  however,  was  no  excuse  for 
the  offence  of  oversleeping.  Bidding  me  strip  and  lie 
down,  he  gave  me  ten  or  fifteen  lashes,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  which  he  inquired  if  I  thought,  after  that,  I 
could  get  up  sometime  in  the  morning.  I  expressed 
myself  quite  positively  that  I  could,  and,  with  back 
stinging  with  pain,  went  about  my  work. 

The  following  day,  Sunday,  my  thoughts  were  upon 
Bass,  and  the  probabilities  and  hopes  which  hung 
upon  his  action  and  determination.  I  considered  the 
uncertainty  of  life  ;  that  if  it  should  be  the  will  of 
God  that  he  should  die,  my  prospect  of  deliverance,  and 
all  expectation  of  happiness  in  this  world,  would  be 
wholly  ended  and  destroyed.  My  sore  back,  perhaps, 
did  not  have  a  tendency  to  render  me  unusually  cheer- 
ful. I  felt  down-hearted  and  unhappy  all  day  long, 
and  when  I  laid  down  upon  the  hard  board  at  night, 
my  heart  was  oppressed  with  such  a  load  of  grief,  it 
seemed  that  it  must  break. 

Monday  morning,  the  third  of  January,  1853,  we 
were  in  the  field  betimes.  It  was  a  raw,  cold  morn- 
ing, such  as  is  unusual  in  that  region.  I  was  in  ad- 
vance, Uncle  Abram  next  to  me,  behind  him  Bob, 
Patsey  and  Wiley,  with  our  cotton-bags  about  our 


288  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

necks.  Epps  happened  (a  rare  thing,  indeed,)  to  come 
out  that  morning  without  his  whip.  He  swore,  in  a 
manner  that  would  shame  a  pirate,  that  we  were  do- 
ing nothing.  Bob  ventured  to  say  that  his  fingers 
were  so  numb  with  cold  he  couldn't  pick  fast.  Epps 
cursed  himself  for  not  having  brought  his  rawhide, 
and  declared  that  when  he  came  out  again  he  would 
warm  us  well ;  yes,  he  would  make  us  all  hotter  than 
that  fiery  realm  in  which  I  am  sometimes  compelled 
to  believe  he  will  himself  eventually  reside. 

"With  these  fervent  expressions,  he  left  us.  "When 
out  of  hearing,  we  commenced  talking  to  each  other, 
saying  how  hard  it  was  to  be  compelled  to  keep  up 
our  tasks  with  numb  fingers  ;  how  unreasonable  mas- 
ter was,  and  speaking  of  him  generally  in  no  flatter- 
ing terms.  Our  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a 
carriage  passing  rapidly  towards  the  house.  Looking 
up,  we  saw  two  men  approaching  us  through  the  cot- 
ton-field. 

Having  now  brought  down  this  narrative  to  the  last 
hour  I  was  to  spend  on  Bayou  Bceuf —  having  got- 
ten through  my  last  cotton  picking,  and  about  to  bid 
Master  Epps  farewell  —  I  must  beg  the  reader  to  go 
back  with  me  to  the  month  of  August ;  to  follow  Bass' 
letter  on  its  long  journey  to  Saratoga;  to  learn  the 
effect  it  produced  —  and  that,  while  I  was  repining 
and  despairing  in  the  slave  hut  of  Edwin  Epps, 
through  the  friendship  of  Bass  and  the  goodness  of 
Providence,  all  things  were  working  together  for  my 
deliverance. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  LETTER  REACHES  SARATOGA IS  FORWARDED  TO  ANNE IS  LAID  BE- 
FORE HENRY  B.  NORTHUP THE  STATUTE  OF  MAY  14,  1840 ITS  PRO- 
VISIONS  ANNE'S  MEMORIAL  TO  THE  GOVERNOR THE  AFFIDAVITS  AC- 
COMPANYING  IT SENATOR  SOULE's  LETTER DEPARTURE  OF  THE  AGENT 

APPOINTED    BY    THE    GOVERNOR ARRIVAL    AT   MARKSVILLE THE   HON. 

JOHN    P.     "WADDILL THE    CONVERSATION    ON    NEW-YORK     POLITICS IT 

SUGGESTS    A   FORTUNATE   IDEA THE    MEETING  WITH  BASS THE    SECRET 

OUT LEGAL   PROCEEDINGS    INSTITUTED DEPARTURE    OF   NORTHUP    AND 

THE  SHERIFF   FROM  MARKSVILLE   FOR  BAYOU   BCEUF ARRANGEMENTS    ON 

THE   WAY REACH    EPPs'    PLANTATION DISCOVER    HIS    SLAVES    IN    THE 

COTTON  FIELD THE    MEETING THE    FAREWELL. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Henry  B.  Northu/p  and  oth- 
ers for  many  of  the  particulars  contained  in  this 
chapter. 

The  letter  written  by  Bass,  directed  to  Parker  and 
Perry,  and  which  was  deposited  in  the  post-office  in 
Marksville  on  the  15th  day  of  August,  1852,  arrived 
at  Saratoga  in  the  early  part  of  September.  Some 
time  previous  to  this,  Anne  had  removed  to  Glens 
Palls,  Warren  county,  where  she  had  charge  of  the 
kitchen  in  Carpenter's  Hotel.  She  kept  house,  how- 
ever, lodging  with  our  children,  and  was  only  absent 
from  them  during  such  time  as  the  discharge  of  her 

duties  in  the  hotel  required. 

M  id 


290  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLATE. 

Messrs.  Parker  and  Perry,  on  receipt  of  the  letter, 
forwarded  it  immediately  to  Anne.  On  reading  it 
the  children  were  all  excitement,  and  without  delay 
hastened  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Sandy  Hill, 
to  consult  Henry  B.  JNorthup,  and  obtain  his  advice 
and  assistance  in  the  matter. 

Upon  examination,  that  gentleman  found  among 
the  statutes  of  the  State  an  act  providing  for  the  re- 
covery of  free  citizens  from  slavery.  It  was  passed 
May  14,  1840,  and  is  entitled  "An  act  more  effectu- 
ally to  protect  the  free  citizens  of  this  State  from 
being  kidnapped  or  reduced  to  slavery."  It  provides 
that  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Governor,  upon  the  re- 
ceipt of  satisfactory  information  that  any  free  citizen  or 
inhabitant  of  this  State,  is  wrongfully  held  in  another 
State  or  Territory  of  the  United  States,  upon  the  al- 
legation or  pretence  that  such  person  is  a  slave,  or 
by  color  of  any  usage  or  rule  of  law  is  deemed  or 
taken  to  be  a  slave,  to  take  such  measures  to  procure 
the  restoration  of  such  person  to  liberty,  as  he  shall 
deem  necessary.  And  to  that  end,  he  is  authorized 
to  appoint  and  employ  an  agent,  and  directed  to  fur- 
nish him  with  such  credentials  and  instructions  as  will 
be  likely  to  accomplish  the  object  of  his  appointment. 
It  requires  the  agent  so  appointed  to  proceed  to  col- 
lect the  proper  proof  to  establish  the  right  of  such 
person  to  his  freedom ;  to  perform  such  journeys,  take 
such  measures,  institute  such  legal  proceedings,  &c, 
as  may  be  necessary  to  return  such  person  to  this 
State,  and  charges  all  expenses  incurred  in  carrying 


ANNE'S   MEMOEIAL   TO   THE   GOVEENOB.  291 

the  act  into  effect,  upon  'moneys  not  otherwise  ap- 
propriated in  the  treasury.* 

It  was  necessary  to  establish  two  facts  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  Governor :  First,  that  I  was  a  free  citi- 
zen of  JSTew-York  ;  and  secondly,  that  I  was  wrong- 
fully held  in  bondage.  As  to  the  first  point,  there 
was  no  difficulty,  all  the  older  inhabitants  in  the  vi- 
cinity being  ready  to  testify  to  it.  The  second  point 
rested  entirely  upon  the  letter  to  Parker  and  Perry, 
written  in  an  unknown  hand,  and  upon  the  letter  pen- 
ned on  board  the  brig  Orleans,  which,  unfortunately, 
had  been  mislaid  or  lost. 

A  memorial  was  prepared,  directed  to  his  excellen- 
cy, Governor  Hunt,  setting  forth  her  marriage,  my 
departure  to  "Washington  city  ;  the  receipt  of  the  let- 
ters ;  that  I  was  a  free  citizen,  and  such  other  facts  as 
were  deemed  important,  and  was  signed  and  verified 
by  Anne.  Accompanying  this  memorial  were  sever- 
al affidavits  of  prominent  citizens  of  Sandy  Hill  and 
Fort  Edward,  corroborating  fully  the  statements  it 
contained,  and  also  a  request  of  several  well  known 
gentlemen  to  the  Governor,  that  Henry  B.  ISTorthup 
be  appointed  agent  under  the  legislative  act. 

On  reading  the  memorial  and  affidavits,  his  excel- 
lency took  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter,  and  on  the 
23d  day  of  November,  1852,  under  the  seal  of  the 
State,  "  constituted,  appointed  and  employed  Henry 
B.  IsTorthup,  Esq.,  an  agent,  with  full  power  to  effect" 
my  restoration,  and  to  take  such  measures  as  would 

*  See  Appendix  A. 


292  TWELVE   TEAES    A    SLAVE. 

be  most  likely  to  accomplish  it,  and  instructing  him 
to  proceed  to  Louisiana  with  all  convenient  dispatch.* 

The  pressing  nature  of  Mr.  ISTorthup's  professional 
and  political  engagements  delayed  his  departure  un- 
til December.  On  the  fourteenth  day  of  that  month 
he  left  Sandy  Hill,  and  proceeded  to  "Washington. 
The  Hon.  Pierre  Soule,  Senator  in  Congress  from  Lou- 
isiana, Hon.  Mr.  Conrad,  Secretary  of  "War,  and 
Judge  Nelson,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  upon  hearing  a  statement  of  the  facts,  and  ex- 
amining his  commission,  and  certified  copies  of  the 
memorial  and  affidavits,  furnished  him  with  open  let- 
ters to  gentlemen  in  Louisiana,  strongly  urging  their 
assistance  in  accomplishing  the  object  of  his  ap- 
pointment. 

Senator  Soule  especially  interested  himself  in  the 
matter,  insisting,  in  forcible  language,  that  it  was  the 
duty  and  interest  of  every  planter  in  his  State  to  aid 
in  restoring  me  to  freedom,  and  trusted  the  sentiments 
of  honor  and  justice  in  the  bosom  of  every  citizen  of 
the  commonwealth  would  enlist  him  at  once  in  rny 
behalf.  Having  obtained  these  valuable  letters,  Mr. 
Kbrthup  returned  to  Baltimore,  and  proceeded  from 
thence  to  Pittsburgh.  It  was  his  original  intention, 
under  advice  of  friends  at  Washington,  to  go  directly 
to  New  Orleans,  and  consult  the  authorities  of  that 
city.  Providentially,  however,  on  arriving  at  the 
mouth  of  Eed  Piver,  he  changed  his  mind.  Had  he 
continued  on,  he  would  not  have  met  with  Bass,  in 

*  See  Appendix  B. 


ARRIVAL  AT   MARKS VTLLE.  293 

which  case  the  search  for  nie  would  probably  have 
been  fruitless. 

Taking  passage  on  the  first  steamer  that  arrived, 
he  pursued  his  journey  up  Red  River,  a  sluggish, 
winding  stream,  flowing  through  a  vast  region  of 
primitive  forests  and  impenetrable  swamps,  almost 
wholly  destitute  of  inhabitants.  About  nine  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon,  January  1st,  1853,  he  left  the  steamboat 
at  Marksville,  and  proceeded  directly  to  Marksville 
Court  House,  a  small  village  four  miles  in  the  interior. 

From  the  fact  that  the  letter  to  Messrs.  Parker  and 
Perry  was  post-marked  at  Marksville,  it  was  supposed 
by  him  that  I  was  in  that  place  or  its  immediate  vi- 
cinity. On  reaching  this  town,  he  at  once  laid  his 
business  before  the  Hon.  John  P.  "Waddill,  a  legal 
gentleman  of  distinction,  and  a  man  of  fine  genius 
and  most  noble  impulses.  After  reading  the  letters 
and  documents  presented  him,  and  listening  to  a  rep- 
resentation of  the,  circumstances  under  which  I  had 
been  carried  away  into  captivity,  Mr.  Waddill  at 
once  proffered  his  services,  and  entered  into  the  af- 
fair with  great  zeal  and  earnestness.  He,  in  common 
with  others  of  like  elevated  character,  looked  upon 
the  kidnapper  with  abhorrence.  The  title  of  his  fel- 
low parishioners  and  clients  to  the  property  which 
constituted  the  larger  proportion  of  their  wealth,  not 
only  depended  upon  the  good  faith  in  which  slave 
sales  were  transacted,  but  he  was  a  man  in  whose 
honorable  heart  emotions  of  indignation  were  aroused 
by  such  an  instance  of  injustice. 


294  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLATE. 

Marksville,  although  occupying  a  prominent  posi- 
tion, and  standing  out  in  impressive  italics  on  the 
map  of  Louisiana,  is,  in  fact,  but  a  small  and  insig- 
nificant hamlet.  Aside  from  the  tavern,  kept  by  a 
jolly  and  generous  boniface,  the  court  house,  inhabi- 
ted by  lawless  cows  and  swine  in  the  seasons  of  va- 
cation, and  a  high  gallows,  with  its  dissevered  rope 
dangling  in  the  air,  there  is  little  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  stranger.  ^H^ 

Solomon  ISTorthup  was  a  name  Mr.  TVaddill  flB 
never  heard,  but  he  was  confident  that  if  there  was 
a  slave  bearing  that  appellation  in  Marksville  or  vi- 
cinity, his  black  boy  Tom  would  know  him.  Tom 
was  accordingly  called,  but  in  all  his  extensive  cir- 
cle of  acquaintances  there  was  no  such  personage. 

The  letter  to  Parker  and  Perry  was  dated  at  Bayou 
Bceuf.  At  this  place,  therefore,  the  conclusion  was, 
I  must  be  sought.  But  here  a  difficulty  suggested 
itself,  of  a  very  grave  character  indeed.  Bayou  Bceuf, 
at  its  nearest  point,  was  twenty-three  miles  distant, 
and  was  the  name  applied  to  the  section  of  country 
extending  between  fifty  and  a  hundred  miles,  on 
both  sides  of  that  stream.  Thousands  and  thousands 
of  slaves  resided  upon  its  shores,  the  remarkable 
richness  and  fertility  of  the  soil  having  attracted 
thither  a  great  number  of  planters.  The  information 
in  the  letter  was  so  vague  and  indefinite  as  to  render 
it  difficult  to  conclude  upon  any  specific  course  of 
proceeding.  It  was  finally  determined,  however,  as 
the  only  plan  that  presented  any  prospect  of  success3 


NEW-YORK   POLITICS.  295 

that  Northup  and  the  brother  of  Waddill,  a  student 
in  the  office  of  the  latter,  should  repair  to  the  Bayou, 
and  traveling  up  one  side  and  down  the  other  its 
whole  length,  inquire  at  each  plantation  for  me.  Mr. 
Waddill  tendered  the  use  of  his  carriage,  and  it  was 
definitely  arranged  that  they  should  start  upon  the 
excursion  early  Monday  morning. 

It  will  he  seen  at  once  that  this  course,  in  all  prob- 
ability, would  have  resulted  unsuccessfully.  It  would 
have  been  impossible  for  them  to  have  gone  into  the 
fields  and  examine  all  the  gangs  at  work.  They 
were  not  aware  that  I  was  known  only  as  Piatt ;  and 
had  they  inquired  of  Epps  himself,  he  would  have 
stated  truly  that  he  knew  nothing  of  Solomon 
TTorthup. 

The  arrangement  being  adopted,  however,  there 
was  nothing  further  to  be  done  until  Sunday  had 
elapsed.  The  conversation  between"  Messrs.  Northup 
and  "Waddill,  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  turned 
upon  !New-York  politics.  -" 

"I  can  scarcely  comprehend  the  nice  distinc- 
tions and  shades  of  political  parties  in  your  State," 
observed  Mr.  Waddill.  "  I  read  of  soft-shells  and 
hard-shells,  hunkers  and  barnburners,  woolly-heads 
and  silver-grays,  and  am  unable  to  understand  the 
precise  difference  between  them.     Pray,  what  is  it  V 

Mr.  ISTorthup,  re-filling  his  pipe,  entered  into  quite 
an  elaborate  narrative  of  the  origin  of  the  various 
sections  of  parties,  and  concluded  by  saying  there  was 
another  party  in  ISTew-York,  known  as  free-soilers  or 


296  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLATE. 

abolitionists.  "  Tou  have  seen  none  of  those  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  I  presume  ?"  Mr.  Northup  re- 
marked. 

"  .Never,  but  one,"  answered  Waddill,  laughingly. 
"  We  have  one  here  in  Marksville,  an  eccentric  crea- 
ture, who  preaches  abolitionism  as  vehemently  as  any 
fanatic  at  the  North.  He  is  a  generous,  inoffensive 
man,  but  always  maintaining  the  wrong  side  of  an 
argument.  It  affords  us  a  deal  of  amusement.  He 
is  an  excellent  mechanic,  and  almost  indispensable  in 
this  community.  He  is  a  carpenter.  His  name  is 
Bass." 

Some  further  good-natured  conversation  was  had  at 
the  expense  of  Bass'  peculiarities,  when  "Waddill  all 
at  once  fell  into  a  reflective  mood,  and  asked  for  the 
mysterious  letter  again. 

'^Let  me  see — 1-e-t  m-e  s-e-e !"  he  repeated, 
thoughtfully  to  himself,  running  his  eyes  over  the  let- 
ter once  more.  "  '  Bayou  Bceuf,  August  15.'  August 
15  —  post-marked  here.  '  He  that  is  writing  for  me  — ' 
"Where  did  Bass  work  last  summer?"  he  inquired, 
turning  suddenly  to  his  brother.  His  brother  was 
unable  to  inform  him,  but  rising,  left  the  office,  and 
soon  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  "  Bass  work- 
ed last  summer  somewhere  on  Bayou  Bceuf." 

"  He  is  the  man," 'bringing  down  his  hand  emphat- 
ically on  the  table,' "who  can  tell  us  all  about  Sol- 
omon ISTorthup,"  exclaimed  Waddill. 

Bass  was  immediately  searched  for,  but  could  not 
be  found.     After  some  inquiry,  it  was  ascertained  he 


THE  MEETING  "WITH  BASS.  297 

was  at  the  landing  on  Red  River.  Procuring  a  con- 
veyance, young  TVaddill  and  ISTorthup  were  not  long- 
in  traversing  the  few  miles  to  the  latter  place.  On 
their  arrival,  Bass  was  found,  just  on  the  point  of  leav- 
ing, to  be  absent  a  fortnight  or  more.  After  an  in- 
troduction, ISTorthup  begged  the  privilege  of  speaking  -. 
to  him  privately  a  moment.  They  walked  together 
towards  the  river,  when  the  following  conversation 
ensued : 

"  Mr.  Bass,"  said  ISTorthup,  "  allow  me  to  ask  you 
if  you  were  on  Bayou  Boeuf  last  August  ?  " 

"  Tes,  sir,  I  was  there  in  August,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Did  you  write  a  letter  for  a  colored  man  at  that 
place  to  some  gentleman  in  Saratoga  Springs  ?  " 

"  Excuse  me,  sir,  if  I  say  that  is  none  of  your  busi= 
ness,"  answered  Bass,  stopping  and  looking  his  inter- 
rogator searchingly  in  the  face. 

"  Perhaps  I  am  rather  hasty,  Mr.  Bass  ;  I  beg  your 
pardon ;  but  I  have  come  from  the  State  of  ]STew-York 
to  accomplish  the  purpose  the  writer  of  a  letter  dated-'- 
the  15th  of  August,  post-marked  at  Marksville,  had 
in  view.  Circumstances  have  led  me  to  think  that 
you  are  perhaps  the  man  who  wrote  it.  I  am  in 
search  of  Solomon  ISTorthup.  If  you  know  him,  I  beg 
you  to  inform  me  frankly  where  he  is,  and  I  assure 
you  the  source  of  any  information  you  may  give  me 
shall  not  be  divulged,  if  you  desire  it  not  to  be." 

A  long  time  Bass   looked  his  new   acquaintance 
steadily  in  the  eyes,  without  opening  his  lips.     He 
seemed  to  be  doubting  in  his  own  mind  if  there  was 
M* 


298  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

not  an  attempt  to  practice  some  deception  upon  him. 
Finally  he  said,  deliberately  — ■ 

"  I  have  done  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of.  I  am  the 
man  who  wrote  the  letter.  If  you  have  come  to  res- 
cue Solomon  Northup,  I  am  glad  to  see  you." 

"  "When  did  you  last  see  him,  and  where  is  he  ? " 
Northup  inquired. 

"  I  last  saw  him  Christmas,  a  week  ago  to-day. 
He  is  the  slave  of  Edwin  Epps,  a  planter  on  Bayou 
Boeuf,  near  Holmesville.  He  is  not  known  as  Solo- 
mon Northup  ;  he  is  called  Piatt." 

The  secret  was  out  —  the  mystery  was  unraveled. 
Through  the  thick,  black  cloud,  amid  whose  dark  and 
dismal  shadows  I  had  walked  twelve  years,  broke  the 
star  that  was  to  light  me  back  to  liberty.  All  mis- 
trust and  hesitation  were  soon  thrown  aside,  and  the 
two  men  conversed  long  and  freely  upon  the  subject 
uppermost  in  their  thoughts.  Bass  expressed  the 
interest  he  had  taken  in  my  behalf —  his  intention  of 
going  north  in  the  Spring,  and  declaring  that  he  had 
resolved  to  accomplish  my  emancipation,  if  it  were  in 
his  power.  He  described  the  commencement  and 
progress  of  his  acquaintance  with  me,  and  listened 
with  eager  curiosity  to  the  account  given  him  of  my 
family,  and  the  history  of  my  early  life.  Before  sep- 
arating, he  drew  a  map  of  the  bayou  on  a  strip  of  paper 
with  a  piece  of  red  chalk,  showing  the  locality  of  Epps5 
plantation,  and  the  road  leading  most  directly  to  it. 

Northup  and  his  young  companion  returned  to 
Marksville,  where  it  was  determined  to  commence 


LEGAL   PEOCEEDmGS.  299 

legal  proceedings  to  test  the  question  of  my  right  to 
freedom.  I  was  made  plaintiff,  Mr.  ISTorthup  acting 
as  my  guardian,  and  Edwin  Epps  defendant.  The 
process  to  be  issued  was  in  the  nature  of  replevin,  di- 
rected to  the  sheriff  of  the  parish,  commanding  him 
to  take  me  into  custody,  and  detain  me  until  the  de- 
cision of  the  court.  By  the  time  the  papers  were  duly 
drawn  up,  it  was  twelve  o'clock  at  night  —  too  late  to 
obtain  the  necessary  signature  of  the  Judge,  who  resi- 
ded some  distance  out  of  town.  Further  business  was 
therefore  suspended  until  Monday  morning. 

Everything,  apparently,  was  moving  along  swim- 
mingly, until  Sunday  afternoon,  when  Waddill  called 
at  ISTorthup's  room  to  express  his  apprehension  of  dif- 
ficulties they  had  not  expected  to  encounter.  Bass 
had  become  alarmed,  and  had  placed  his  affairs  in 
the  hands  of  a  person  at  the  landing,  communicating 
to  him  his  intention  of  leaving  the  State.  This  per- 
son had  betrayed  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  to  a 
certain  extent,  and  a  rumor  began  to  float  about  the 
town,  that  the  stranger  at  the  hotel,  who  had  been 
observed  in  the  company  of  lawyer  Waddill,  was  after 
one  of  old  Epps'  slaves,  over  on  the  bayou.  Epps 
was  known  at  Marksville,  having  frequent  occasion 
to  visit  that  place  during  the  session  of  the  courts,  and 
the  fear  entertained  by  Mr.  Northup's  adviser  was, 
that  intelligence  would  be  conveyed  to  him  in  the 
night,  giving  him  an  opportunity  of  secreting  me  be- 
fore the  arrival  of  the  sheriff. 

This  apprehension  had  the  effect  of  expediting  mat- 


800  TWELVE  YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

ters  considerably.  The  sheriff,  who  lived  in  one  direc- 
tion from  the  village,  was  requested  to  hold  himself 
in  readiness  immediately  after  midnight,  while  the 
Judge  was  informed  he  would  be  called  upon  at  the 
same  time.  It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  the  authori- 
ties at  Marksville  cheerfully  rendered  all  the  assist- 
ance in  their  power. 

As  soon  after  midnight  as  bail  could  be  perfected, 
and  the  Judge's  signature  obtained,  a  carriage,  con- 
taining Mr.  Northup  and  the  sheriff,  driven  by  the 
landlord's  son,  rolled  rapidly  out  of  the  village  of 
Marksville,  on  the  road  towards  Bayou  Boeuf. 

It  was  supposed  that  Epps  would  contest  the  issue 
involving  my  right  to  liberty,  and  it  therefore  sug- 
gested itself  to  Mr.  JSTorthup,  that  the  testimony  of  the 
sheriff,  describing  my  first  meeting  with  the  for- 
mer, might  perhaps  become  material  on  the  trial. 
It  was  accordingly  arranged  during  the  ride,  that, 
before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  Mr. 
Northup,  the  sheriff  should  propound  to  me  cer- 
tain questions  agreed  upon,  such  as  the  number  and 
names  of  my  children,  the  name  of  my  wife  before 
marriage,  of  places  I  knew  at  the  North,  and  so  forth. 
If  my  answers  corresponded  with  the  statements  giv- 
en him,  the  evidence  must  necessarily  be  considered 
conclusive. 

At  length,  shortly  after  Epps  had  left  the  field,  with 
the  consoling  assurance  that  he  would  soon  return  and 
warm  us,  as  was  stated  in  the  conclusion  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  they  came  in  sight  of  the  plantation, 


REACH   EPPS'    PLANTATION.  301 

and  discovered  us  at  work.  Alighting  from  the  car- 
riage, and  directing  the  driver  to  proceed  to  the  great 
house,  with  instructions  not  to  mention  to  any  one 
the  object  of  their  errand  until  they  met  again,  JSTorth- 
up  and  the  sheriff  turned  from  the  highway,  and  came 
towards  us  across  the  cotton  field.  "We  observed  them, 
on  looking  up  at  the  carriage  —  one  several  rods  in 
advance  of  the  other.  It  was  a  singular  and  unusual 
thing  to  see  white  men  approaching  us  in  that  man- 
ner, and  especially  at  that  early  hour  in  the  morning', 
and  Uncle  Abram  and  Patsey  made  some  remarks, 
expressive  of  their  astonishment.  Walking  up  to 
Bob,  the  sheriff  inquired  : 

"  Where's  the  boy  they  call  Piatt  ?  " 

"  Thar  he  is,  massa,"  answered  Bob,  pointing  to  me, 
and  twitching  off  his  hat. 

I  wondered  to  myself  what  business  he  could  pos- 
sibly have  with  me,  and  turning  round,  gazed  at  him 
until  he  had  approached  within  a  step.  During  my 
long  residence  on  the  bayou,  I  had  become  familiar 
with  the  face  of  every  planter  within  many  miles ; 
but  this  man  was  an  utter  stranger  —  certainly  I  had 
never  seen  him  before. 

"  Your  name  is  Piatt,  is  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  master,"  I  responded. 

Pointing  towards  Northup,  standing  a  few  rods  dis- 
tant, he  demanded  — "  Do  you  know  that  man  ?  " 

I  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  as  my  eyes 
rested  on  his  countenance,  a  world  of  images  thronged 
my  brain ;  a  multitude  of  well-known  faces  —  Anne's, 


302  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

and  the  dear  children's,  and  my  old  dead  father's ;  all 
the  scenes  and  associations  of  childhood  and  youth  ; 
all  the  friends  of  other  and  happier  days,  appeared 
and  disappeared,  flitting  and  floating  like  dissolving 
shadows  before  the  vision  of  my  imagination,  until  at 
last  the  perfect  memory  of  the  man  recurred  to  me, 
and  throwing  up  my  hands  towards  Heaven,  I  ex- 
claimed, in  a  voice  louder  than  I  could  utter  in  a  less 
exciting  moment  — 

"  Henry  B.  Mrthup  !    Thank  God  —  thank  God ! " 

In  an  instant  I  comprehended  the  nature  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  felt  that  the  hour  of  my  deliverance  was  at 
hand.  I  started  towards  him,  but  the  sheriff  stepped 
before  me. 

"Stop  a  moment,"  said  he  ;  "have  you  any  other 
name  than  Piatt  ? " 

"  Solomon  Northup  is  my  name,  master,"  I  replied. 

"  Have  you  a  family  2  "  he  inquired. 

"  I  had  a  wife  and  three  children." 

"  What  were  your  children's  names  ?  " 

"  Elizabeth,  Margaret  and  Alonzo." 

"  And  your  wife's  name  before  her  marriage  % " 

u  Anne  Hampton." 

"  "Who  married  you  ? " 

"  Timothy  Eddy,  of  Fort  Edward." 

"  Where  does  that  gentleman  live  ?  "  again  pointing 
to  Xorthup,  who  remained  standing  in  the  same  place 
where  I  had  first  recognized  him. 

"  He  lives  in  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county,  !New 
York,"  was  the  reply. 


THE   MEETING.  303 

He  was  proceeding  to  ask  further  questions,  but  I 
pushed  past  him,  unable  longer  to  restrain  myself. 
I  seized  my  old  acquaintance  by  both  hands.  I  could 
not  speak,     I  could  not  refrain  from  tears. 

"  Sol,"  he  said  at  length,  "  I'm  glad  to  see  you." 

I  essayed  to  make  some  answer,  but  emotion  choked 
all  utterance,  and  I  was  silent.  The  slaves,  utterly 
confounded,  stood  gazing  upon  the  scene,  their  open 
mouths  and  rolling  eyes  indicating  the  utmost  wonder 
and  astonishment.  For  ten  years  I  had  dwelt  among 
them,  in  the  field  and  in  the  cabin,  borne  the  same 
hardships,  partaken  the  same  fare,  mingled  my  griefs 
with  theirs,  participated  in  the  same  scanty  joys ; 
nevertheless,  not  until  this  hour,  the  last  I  was  to  re- 
main among  them,  had  the  remotest  suspicion  of  my 
true  name,  or  the  slightest  knowledge  of  my  real  his- 
tory, been  entertained  by  any  one  of  them. 

~Not  a  word  was  spoken  for  several  minutes,  during 
which  time  I  clung  fast  to  Northup,  looking  up  into 
his  face,  fearful  I  should  awake  and  find  it  all  a 
dream. 

"  Throw  down  that  sack,"  Northup  added,  finally ; 
"  your  cotton-picking  days  are  over.  Come  with  us 
to  the  man  you  live  with." 

I  obeyed  him,  and  walking  between  him  and  the 
sheriff,  we  moved  towards  the  great  house.  It  was 
not  until  we  had  proceeded  some  distance  that  I  had 
recovered  my  voice  sufficiently  to  ask  if  my  family 
were  all  living.  He  informed  me  he  had  seen  Anne, 
Margaret  and  Elizabeth  but  a  short  time  previously ; 


304  TWELVE   TEARS   A   SLAVE. 

that  Alonzo  was  also  living,  and  all  were  well.  My 
mother,  however,  I  could  never  see  again.  As  I  be- 
gan to  recover  in  some  measure  from  the  sudden  and 
great  excitement  which  so  overwhelmed  me,  I  grew 
faint  and  weak,  insomuch  it  was  with  difficulty  I  could 
walk.  The  sheriff  took  hold  of  my  arm  and  assisted 
me,  or  I  think  I  should  have  fallen.  As  we  entered 
the  yard,  Epps  stood  by  the  gate,  conversing  with  the 
driver.  That  young  man,  faithful  to  his  instructions, 
was  entirely  unable  to  give  him  the  least  information 
in  answer  to  his  repeated  inquiries  of  what  was  going 
on.  By  the  time  we  reached  him  he  was  almost  as 
much  amazed  and  puzzled  as  Bob  or  Uncle  Abram. 
Shaking  hands  with  the  sheriff,  and  receiving  an 
introduction  to  Mr.  Northup,  he  invited  them  into  the 
house,  ordering  me,  at  the  same  time,  to  bring  in 
some  wood.  It  was  some  time  before  I  succeeded  in 
cutting  an  armful,  having,  somehow,  unaccountably, 
lost  the  power  of  wielding  the  axe  with  any  manner 
of  precision.  When  I  entered  with  it  at  last,  the 
table  was  strewn  with  papers,  from  one  of  which 
Korthup  was  reading.  I  was  probably  longer  than 
necessity  required,  in  placing  the  sticks  upon  the  fire, 
being  particular  as  to  the  exact  position  of  each  indi- 
vidual one  of  them.  I  heard  the  words,  "  the  said 
Solomon  ISTorthup,"  and  "  the  deponent  further  says," 
and  "  free  citizen  of  New- York,"  repeated  frequently, 
and  from  these  expressions  understood  that  the  secret 
I  had  so  long  retained  from  Master  and  Mistress  Epps, 
was  finally  developing.     I  lingered  as  long  as  pru- 


^-  ~^.  ovff.       J 

SCENE    IN   THE   COTTON   FIELD,    SOLOMON    DELIVERED   UP. 


MEETING   AT  EPPs'  HOUSE.  305 

dence  permitted,  and  was  about  leaving  the  room, 
when  Epps  inquired, 

"  Piatt,  do  you  know  this  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Yes,  master,"  I  replied,  "  I  have  known  him  as 
long  as  I  can  remember." 

"  Where  does  he  live  ? " 

"  He  lives  in  Eew-York." 

"  Did  you  ever  live  there  ?  " 

"  Yes,  master  —  born  and  bred  there." 

"  You  was  free,  then.     Now  you  d d  nigger," 

he  exclaimed,  "  why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  when  I 
bought  you  % " 

"  Master  Epps,"  I  answered,  in  a  somewhat  differ- 
ent tone  than  the  one  in  which  I  had  been  accustomed 
to  address  him  —  "  Master  Epps,  you  did  not  take  the 
trouble  to  ask  me  ;  besides,  I  told  one  of  my  owners  — 
the  man  that  kidnapped  me  —  that  I  was  free,  and 
was  whipped  almost  to  death  for  it." 

"  It  seems  there  has  been  a  letter  written  for  you  by 
somebody.  Now,  who  is  it  ?  "  he  demanded,  authori- 
tatively.    I  made  no  reply. 

"  I  say,  who  wrote  that  letter  ? "  he  demanded 
again. 

"  Perhaps  I  wrote  it  myself,"  I  said. 

"  You  haven't  been  to  Marksville  post-office  and 
hack  before  light,  I  know." 

He  insisted  upon  my  informing  him,  and  I  insisted 
I  would  not.  He  made  many  vehement  threats  against 
the  man,  whoever  he  might  be,  and  intimated  the 
bloody  and  savage  vengeance  he  would  wreak  upon 

20 


306  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

him,  when  he  found  him  out.  His  whole  manner 
and  language  exhibited  a  feeling  of  anger  towards  the 
unknown  person  who  had  written  for  me,  and  of  fret- 
fulness  at  the  idea  of  losing  so  much  property.  Ad- 
dressing Mr.  Korthup,  he  swore  if  he  had  only  had  an 
hour's  notice  of  his  coming,  he  would  have  saved  him 
the  trouble  of  taking  me  back  to  New- York ;  that  he 
would  have  run  me  into  the  swamp,  or  some  other 
place  out  of  the  way,  where  all  the  sheriffs  on  earth 
couldn't  have  found  me. 

I  walked  out  into  the  yard,  and  was  entering  the 
kitchen  door,  when  something  struck  me  in  the  back. 
Aunt  Phebe,  emerging  from  the  back  door  of  the 
great  house  with  a  pan  of  potatoes,  had  thrown  one 
of  them  with  unnecessary  violence,  thereby  giving 
me  to  understand  that  she  wished  to  speak  to  me  a 
moment  confidentially.  Running  up  to  me,  she  whis- 
pered in  my  ear  with  great  earnestness, 

"  Lor  a'  mity,  Piatt !  what  d'ye  think  ?  Dem  two 
men  come  after  ye.  Heard 'em  tell  massa  you  free  — 
got  wife  and  tree  children  back  thar  whar  you  come 
from.  Goin'  wid  'em?  Fool  if  ye  don't  —  wish  I 
could  go,"  and  Aunt  Phebe  ran  on  in  this  manner  at 
a  rapid  rate. 

Presently  Mistress  Epps  made  her  appearance  in 
the  kitchen.  She  said  many  things  to  me,  and  won- 
dered why  I  had  not  told  her  who  I  was.  She  ex- 
pressed her  regret,  complimenting  me  by  saying  she 
had  rather  lose  any  other  servant  on  the  plantation, 
Had  Patsey  that  day  stood  in  my  place,  the  measure 


THE  FAEEWELL.  307 

of  my  mistress'  joy  would  have  overflowed.  !Now 
there  was  no  one  left  who  could  mend  a  chair  or  a 
piece  of  furniture  — no  one  who  was  of  any  use  about 
the  house  —  no  one  who  could  play  for  her  on  the  vio- 
lin— and  Mistress  Epps  was  actually  affected  to  tears. 

Epps  had  called  to  Bob  to  bring  up  his  saddle  horse. 
The  other  slaves,  also,  overcoming  their  fear  of  the 
penalty,  had  left  their  work  and  come  to  the  yard. 
They  were  standing  behind  the  cabins,  out  of  sight  of 
Epps.  They  beckoned  me  to  come  to  them,  and  with 
all  the  eagerness  of  curiosity,  excited  to  the  highest 
pitch,  conversed  with  and  questioned  me..  If  I  could 
repeat  the  exact  words  they  uttered,  with  the  same 
emphasis — if  I  could  paint  their  several  attitudes,  and 
the  expression  of  their  countenances  —  it  would  be 
indeed  an  interesting  picture.  In  their  estimation,  I 
had  suddenly  arisen  to  an  immeasurable  height  —  had 
become  a  being  of  immense  importance. 

The  legal  papers  having  been  served,  and  arrange- 
ments made  with  Epps  to  meet  them  the  next  day  at 
Marksville,  ISTorthup  and  the  sheriff  entered  the 
carriage  to  return  to  the  latter  place.  As  I  was  about 
mounting  to  the  driver's  seat,  the  sheriff  said  I  ought 
to  bid  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Epps  good  bye.  I  ran  back  to 
the  piazza  where  they  were  standing,  and  taking  off 
my  hat,  said, 

"  Good-bye,  missis." 

"  Good-bye,  Piatt,"  said  Mrs.  Epps,  kindly. 

"  Good-bye,  master." 

"  Ah !  you  d — d  nigger,"  muttered  Epps,  in  a  surly, 


308  TWELVE  YEAE8  A   SLAVE. 

malicious  tone  of  voice,  "  you  needn't  feel  so  cussed 
tickled  —  you  ain't  gone  yet  —  I'll  see  about  this  busi- 
ness at  Marksville  to-morrow." 

I  was  only  a  "  niggei^  and  knew  my  place,  but  felt 
as  strongly  as  if  I  bad  been  a  white  man,  that  it 
would  have  been  an  inward  comfort,  had  I  dared  to 
have  given  him  a  parting  kick.  On  my  way  back  to 
the  carriage,  Patsey  ran  from  behind  a  cabin  and 
threw  her  arms  about  my  neck. 

"  Oh  !  Piatt,"  she  cried,  tears  streaming  down  her 
face,  "you're  goin'  to  be  free  —  you're  goin'  way  off 
yonder  where  we'll  neber  see  ye  any  more.  You've 
saved  me  a  good  many  whippins,  Piatt ;  I'm  glad 
you're  goin'  to  be  free — but  oh!  de  Lord,  de  Lord! 
what'll  become  of  me  ?" 

I  disengaged  myself  from  her,  and  entered  the 
carriage.  The  driver  cracked  his  whip  and  away  we 
rolled.  I  looked  back  and  saw  Patsey,  with  drooping 
head,  half  reclining  on  the  ground ;  Mrs.  Epps  was  on 
the  piazza ;  Uncle  Abrarn,  and  Bob,  and  Wiley,  and 
Aunt  Phebe  stood  by  the  gate,  gazing  after  me.  I 
waved  my  hand,  but  the  carriage  turned  a  bend  of 
the  bayou,  hiding  them  from  my  eyes  forever. 

"We  stopped  a  moment  at  Carey's  sugar  house, 
where  a  great  number  of  slaves  were  at  work,  such 
an  establishment  being  a  curiosity  to  a  Northern  man. 
Epps  dashed  by  us  on  horseback  at  full  speed  —  on 
the  way,  as  we  learned  next  day,  to  the  "  Pine 
Woods,"  to  see  William  Ford,  who  had  brought  me 
into  the  country. 


DEPASTURE  HOMEWAPwD.  309 

Tuesday,  the  fourth  of  January,  Epps  and  his  coun- 
sel, the  Hon.  H.  Taylor,  ISTorthup,  Waddill,  the  Judge 
and  sheriff  of  Avoyelles,  and  myself,  met  in  a  room 
in  the  village  of  Marksville.  Mr.  Northup  stated  the 
facts  in  regard  to  me,  and  presented  his  commission, 
and  the  affidavits  accompanying  it.  The  sheriff  de- 
scribed the  scene  in  the  cotton  field.  I  was  also 
interrogated  at  great  length.  Finally,  Mr.  Taylor 
assured  his  client  that  he  was  satisfied,  and  that  liti- 
gation would  not  only  be  expensive,  but  utterly  use- 
less. In  accordance  with  his  advice,  a  paper  was 
drawn  up  and  signed  by  the  proper  parties,  wherein 
Epps  acknowledged  he  was  satisfied  of  my  right  to 
freedom,  and  formally  surrendered  me  to  the  authori- 
ties of  New- York.  It  was  also  stipulated  that  it  be 
entered  of  record  in  the  recorder's  office  of  Avoy- 
elles.* 

Mi*.  Northup  and  myself  immediately  hastened  to 
the  landing,  and  taking  passage  on  the  first  steamer 
that  arrived,  were  soon  floating  down  Red  River,  up 
which,  with  such  desponding  thoughts,  I  had  been 
borne  twelve  years  before. 

*  See  Appendix  0. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

ARRIVAL   IN    NEW-ORLEANS GLIMPSE  OF  FREEMAN GENOIS,  THE  RECORD- 

ER HIS  DESCRIPTION  OF  SOLOMON REACH  CHARLESTON INTERRUPTED 

BT   CUSTOM   HOUSE    OFFICERS PASS    THROUGH    RICHMOND ARRIVAL   IN 

WASHINGTON BURCH    ARRESTED SHEKELS    AND   THORN THEIR   TESTI- 
MONY  BURCH   ACQUITTED ARREST    CF    SOLOMON BURCH   WITHDRAWS 

THE    COMPLAINT THE    HIGHER  TRIBUNAL DEPARTURE    FROM   WASHING- 
TON  ARRIVAL  AT  SANDY  HILL OLD  FRIENDS   AND    FAMILIAR  SCENES 

PROCEED  TO  GLENS    FALLS MEETING  WITH  ANNE,  MARGARET  AND  ELIZA- 
BETH   SOLOMON    NORTHUP   STAUNTON INCIDENTS CONCLUSION. 

As  the  steamer  glided  on  its  way  towards  New- 
Orleans,  perhaps  I  was  not  happy  — perhaps  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  restraining  myself  from  dancing 
round  the  deck  —  perhaps  I  did  not  feel  grateful  to 
the  man  who  had  come  so  many  hundred  miles  for 
me  —  perhaps  I  did  not  light  his  pipe,  and  wait  and 
watch  his  word,  and  run  at  his  slightest  bidding.  If 
I  didn't — well,  no  matter. 

"We  tarried  at  New-Orleans  two  days.  During  that 
time  I  pointed  out  the  locality  of  Freeman's  slave 
pen,  and  the  room  in  which  Ford  purchased  me.  We 
happened  to  meet  Theophilus  in  the  street,  but  I  did 
not  think  it  worth  while  to  renew  acquaintance  with 
him.  From  respectable  citizens  we  ascertained  he 
had  become  a  low,  miserable  rowdy  —  a  broken-down, 
disreputable  man. 


THE  RECORDER   OF  NEW-ORLEANS.  311 

"We  also  visited  the  recorder,  Mr.  Genois,  to  whom 
Senator  Soule's  letter  was  directed,  and  found  him  a 
man  well  deserving  the  wide  and  honorable  reputa- 
tion that  he  bears.  He  very  generously  furnished  us 
with  a  sort  of  legal  pass,  over  his  signature  and  seal 
of  office,  and  as  it  contains  the  recorder's  description 
of  my  personal  appearance,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  in- 
sert it  here.    The  following  is  a  copy  : 

"  State  of  Louisiana — City  of  New- Orleans : 
Eecorder's  Office,  Second  District. 
"  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come  : — 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  Henry  B.  Northup,  Esquire,  of  the 
county  of  Washington,  New-York,  has  produced  before  me  due 
evidence  of  the  freedom  of  Solomon,  a  mulatto  man,  aged 
about  forty-two  years,  five  feet,  seven  inches  and  six  lines,  woolly 
hair,  and  chestnut  eyes,  who  is  a  native  born  of  the  State  of 
New-York.  That  the  said  Northup,  being  about  bringing  the 
said  Solomon  to  his  native  place,  through  the  southern  routes, 
the  civil  authorities  are  requested  to  let  the  aforesaid  color- 
ed man  Solomon  pass  unmolested,  he  demeaning  well  and 
properly. 

"  Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  the  city  of  New-Or 
leans  this  7th  January,  1853. 

[l.  s.]  "TH.  GENOIS,  Eecorder." 

On  the  8th  we  came  to  Lake  Pontchartrain,  by  rail- 
road, and,  in  due  time,  following  the  usual  route, 
reached  Charleston.  After  going  on  board  the  steam- 
boat, and  paying  our  passage  at  this  city,  Mr.  North- 
up was  called  upon  by  a  custom-house  officer  to  ex- 
plain why  he  had  not  registered  his  servant.     He 


312  TWELVE   TEAES   A   SLAVE. 

replied  that  lie  had  no  servant  —  that,  as  the  agent  of 
New- York,  he  was  accompanying  a  free  citizen  of  that 
State  from  slavery  to  freedom,  and  did  not  desire  nor 
intend  to  make  any  registry  whatever.  I  conceived 
from  his  conversation  and  manner,  though  I  may  per- 
haps be  entirely  mistaken,  that  no  great  pains  would 
be  taken  to  avoid  whatever  difficulty  the  Charleston 
officials  might  deem  proper  to  create.  At  length, 
however,  we  were  permitted  to  proceed,  and,  passing 
through  Richmond,  where  I  caught  a  glimpse  of 
Goodin's  pen,  arrived  in  "Washington  January  17th, 
1853. 

"We  ascertained  that  both  Burch  and  Radburn  were 
still  residing  in  that  city.  Immediately  a  complaint 
was  entered  with  a  police  magistrate  of  Washington, 
against  James  H.  Burch,  for  kidnapping  and  selling 
me  into  slavery.  He  was  arrested  upon  a  warrant 
issued  by  Justice  Gocldard,  and  returned  before  Jus- 
tice Mansel,  and  held  to  bail  in  the  sum  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  When  first  arrested,  Burch  was  much 
excited,  exhibiting  the  utmost  fear  and  alarm,  and  be- 
fore reaching  the  justice's  office  on  Louisiana  Ave- 
nue, and  before  knowing  the  precise  nature  of  the 
complaint,  begged  the  police  to  permit  him  to  consult 
Benjamin  O.  Shekels,  a  slave  trader  of  seventeen 
years'  standing,  and  his  former  partner.  The  latter 
became  his  bail. 

At  ten  o'clock,  the  18th  of  January,  both  parties 
appeared  before  the  magistrate.  Senator  Chase,  of 
Ohio,  Hon.  Orville  Clark,  of  Sandy  Hill,  and  Mr, 


BUKCII    AEEESTED.  313 

Northup  acted  as  counsel  for  the  prosecution,  and  Jo- 
seph H.  Bradley  for  the  defence. 

Gen.  Orville  Clark  was  called  and  sworn  as  a  wit- 
ness, and  testified  that  he  had  known  me  from  child- 
hood, and  that  I  was  a  free  man,  as  was  my  father  be- 
fore me.  Mr.  ISTorthup  then  testified  to  the  same,  and 
proved  the  facts  connected  with  his  mission  to  Avoy- 
elles. 

Ebenezer  Radburn  was  then  sworn  for  the  prosecu- 
tion, and  testified  he  was  forty-eight  years  old  ;  that 
he  was  a  resident  of  Washington,  and  had  known 
Burch  fourteen  years ;  that  in  1841  he  was  keeper  of 
Williams'  slave  pen  ;  that  he  remembered  the  fact  of 
my  confinement  in  the  pen  that  year.  At  this  point 
it  was  admitted  by  the  defendant's  counsel,  that  I  had 
been  placed  in  the  pen  by  Burch  in  the  spring  of 
1811,  and  hereupon  the  prosecution  rested. 

Benjamin  O.  Shekels  was  then  offered  as  a  witness 
by  the  prisoner.  Benjamin  is  a  large,  coarse-featured 
man,  and  the  reader  may  perhaps  get  a  somewhat 
correct  conception  of  him  by  reading  the  exact  lan- 
guage he  used  in  answer  to  the  first  question  of  de- 
fendant's lawyer.  He  was  asked  the  place  of  his  na- 
tivity, and  his  reply,  uttered  in  a  sort  of  rowdyish 
way,  was  in  these  very  words  — 

"  I  was  born  in  Ontario  county,  New-York,  and 
weighed  fourteen  pounds  /" 

Benjamin  was  a  prodigious  baby  !  He  further  tes- 
tified that  he  kept  the  Steamboat  Hotel  in  Washing- 
ton in  1841,  and  saw  me  there  in  the  spring  of  that 
N 


314:  TWELVE   TEAKS   A    SLATE. 

year.  lie  was  proceeding  to  state  what  lie  had  heard 
two  men  say,  when  Senator  Chase  raised  a  legal  ob- 
jection, to  wit,  that  the  sayings  of  third  persons,  be- 
ing hearsay,  was  improper  evidence.  The  objection 
was  overruled  by  the  Justice,  and  Shekels  continued, 
stating  that  two  men  came  to  his  hotel  and  represent- 
ed they  had  a  colored  man  for  sale  ;  that  they  had  an 
interview  with  Burch ;  that  they  stated  they  came 
from  Georgia,  but  he  did  not  remember  the  county  ; 
that  they  gave  a  full  history  of  the  boy,  saying  he  was 
a  bricklayer,  and  pla}Ted  on  the  violin  ;  that  Burch 
remarked  he  would  purchase  if  they  could  agree ;  that 
they  went  out  and  brought  the  boy  in,  and  that  I  was 
the  same  person.  He  further  testified,  with  as 
much  unconcern  as  if  it  was  the  truth,  that  I  rep- 
presented  I  was  born  and  bred  in  Georgia ;  that 
one  of  the  young  men  with  me  was  my  master ;  that 
I  exhibited  a  great  deal  of  regret  at  parting  with  him, 
and  he  believed  "  got  into  tears  !"  —  nevertheless,  that 
I  insisted  my  master  had  a  right  to  sell  me  ;  that  he 
ought  to  sell  me  ;  and  the  remarkable  reason  I  gave 
was,  according  to  Shekels,  because  he,  my  master, 
"  had  been  gambling  and  on  a  spree  !" 

He  continued,  in  these  words,  copied  from  the  min- 
utes taken  on  the  examination :  "  Burch  interrogated 
the  boy  in  the  usual  manner,  told  him  if  he  purchas- 
ed him  he  should  send  him  south.  The  boy  said  he 
had  no  objection,  that  in  fact  he  would  like  to  go 
south.  Burch  paid  $650  for  him,  to  my  knowledge. 
I  don't  know  what  name  was  given  him,  but  think  it 


SIIEKELS   AND   THORN.  315 

was  not  Solomon.  Did  not  know  the  name  of  either 
of  the  two  men.  They  were  in  my  tavern  two  or  three 
hours,  during  which  time  the  hoy  played  on  the  vio- 
lin. The  bill  of  sale  was  signed  in  my  bar-room.  It 
was  a  printed  Manic,  filled  up  oy  Burch.  Before  1838 
Burch  was  my  partner.  Our  business  was  buying 
and  selling  slaves.  After  that  time  he  was  a  partner 
of  Theophilus  Freeman,  of  JSTew-Orleans.  Burch 
bought  here  —  Freeman  sold  there  !" 

Shekels,  before  testifying,  had  heard  my  relation  of 
the  circumstances  connected  with  the  visit  to  "Wash- 
ington with  Brown  and  Hamilton,  and  therefore,  it 
was,  undoubtedly,  he  spoke  of  "  two  men,"  and  of  my 
playing  on  the  violin.  Such  was  his  fabrication,  ut- 
terly untrue,  and  yet  there  was  found  in  Washington 
a  man  who  endeavored  to  corroborate  him. 

Benjamin  A.  Thorn  testified  he  was  at  Shekels'  in 
1811,  and  saw  a  colored  boy  playing  on  a  fiddle. 
"  Shekels  said  he  was  for  sale.  Heard  his  master  tell 
him  he  should  sell  him.  The  boy  acknowledged  to  me 
he  was  a  slave.  I  was  not  present  when  the  money 
was  paid.  Will  not  swear  positively  this  is  the  boy. 
The  master  came  near  shedding  tears  :  1 'think  the  boy . 
did!  I  have  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  taking 
slaves  south,  off  and  on,  for  twenty  years.  When  I 
can't  do  that  I  do  something  else." 

I  was  then  offered  as  a  witness,  but,  objection  be- 
ing made,  the  court  decided  my  evidence  inadmissible. 
It  was  rejected  solely  on  the  ground  that  I  was  a  col- 


316  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

ored  man  —  the  fact  of  my  being  a  free  citizen  of 
!New-York  not  being  disputed. 

Shekels  having  testified  there  was  a  bill  of  sale  ex 
ecuted,  Burch  was  called  upon  by  the  prosecution  to 
produce  it,  inasmuch  as  such  a  paper  would  corrobo- 
rate the  testimony  of  Thorn  and  Shekels.  The  pris- 
oner's counsel  saw  the  necessity  of  exhibiting  it,  or 
giving  some  reasonable  explanation  for  its  non-pro- 
duction. To  effect  the  latter,  Burch  himself  was  offer- 
as  a  witness  in  his  own  behalf.  It  was  contended  by 
counsel  for  the  people,  that  such  testimony  should  not 
be  allowed  —  that  it  was  in  contravention  of  every 
rule  of  evidence,  and  if  permitted  would  defeat  the 
ends  of  justice.  His  testimony,  however,  was  receiv- 
ed by  the  court !  He  made  oath  that  such  a  bill  of 
sale  had  been  drawn  up  and  signed,  hut  he  had  lost  it, 
and  did  not  know  what  had  oecorne  of  it  !  Thereup- 
on the  magistrate  was  recpiested  to  dispatch  a  police 
officer  to  Burch's  residence,  with  directions  to  bring 
his  books,  containing  his  bills  of  sales  for  the  year 
1841.  The  request  was  granted,  and  before  any  meas- 
ure could  be  taken  to  prevent  it,  the  officer  had  ob- 
tained possession  of  the  books,  and  brought  them  into 
court.  The  sales  for  the  year  181:1  were  found,  and 
carefully  examined,  but  no  sale  of  myself,  by  any 
name,  was  discovered ! 

Upon  this  testimony  the  court  held  the  fact  to  be 
established,  that  Burch  came  innocently  and  honestly 
by  me,  and  accordingly  he  was  discharged.    . 


%  AEEEST   OF   SOLOMON".  317 

An  attempt  was  then  made  by  Burch  and  his  sat- 
ellites, to  fasten  upon  me  the  charge  that  I  had  con- 
spired with  the  two  white  men  to  defraud  him — with 
what  success,  appears  in  an  extract  taken  from  an  ar- 
ticle in  the  New-York  Times,  published  a  day  or  two 
subsequent  to  the  trial :  "  The  counsel  for  the  defend- 
ant had  drawn  up,  before  the  defendant  was  dis- 
charged, an  affidavit,  signed  by  Burch,  and  had  a 
warrant  out  against  the  colored  man  for  a  conspiracy 
with  the  two  white  men  before  referred  to,  to  defraud 
Burch  out  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars. 
The  warrant  was  served,  and  the  colored  man  arrest- 
ed and  brought  before  officer  Goddard.  Burch  and 
his  witnesses  appeared  in  court,  and  EL  B.  ISTorthup 
appeared  as  counsel  for  the  colored  man,  stating  he 
was  ready  to  proceed  as  counsel  on  the  part  of  the  de- 
fendant, and  asking  no  delay  whatever.  Burch,  after 
consulting  privately  a  short  time  with  Shekels,  stated 
to  the  magistrate  that  he  wished  him  to  dismiss  the 
complaint,  as  he  would  not  proceed  farther  with  it. 
Defendant's  counsel  stated  to  the  magistrate  that  if 
the  complaint  was  withdrawn,  it  must  be  without  the 
request  or  consent  of  the  defendant.  Burch  then 
asked  the  magistrate  to  let  him  have  the  complaint 
and  the  warrant,  and  he  took  them.  The  counsel  for 
the  defendant  objected  to  his  receiving  them,  and  in- 
sisted they  should  remain  as  part  of  the  records  of  the 
court,  and  that  the  court  should  endorse  the  proceed- 
ings which  had  been  had  under  the  process.  Burch 
delivered  them  up,  and  the  court  rendered  a  judg- 


318  TWELVE   YEARS   A    SLAVE. 

merit  of  discontinuance  by  the  request  of  the  prosecu- 
tor, and  filed  it  in  his  office.  " 

There  may  be  those  who  will  affect  to  believe  the 
statement  of  the  slave-trader  —  those,  in  whose  minds 
his  allegations  will  weigh  heavier  than  mine.  I  am  a 
poor  colored  man  —  one  of  a  down-trodden  and  de- 
graded race,  whose  humble  voice  may  not  be  heeded 
by  the  oppressor  —  but  knowing  the  truth,  and  with  a 
full  sense  of  my  accountability,  I  do  solemnly  declare 
before  men,  and  before  God,  that  any  charge  or  as- 
sertion, that  I  conspired  directly  or  indirectly  with 
any  person  or  persons  to  sell  myself;  that  any  other 
account  of  my  visit  to  Washington,  my  capture  and 
imprisonment  in  Williams'  slave  pen,  than  is  contain- 
ed in  these  pages,  is  utterly  and  absolutely  false.  I 
never  played  on  the  violin  in  Washington.  I  never 
was  in  the  Steamboat  Hotel,  and  never  saw  Thorn  or 
Shekels,  to  my  knowledge,  in  my  life,  until  last  Jan- 
uary. The  story  of  the  trio  of  slave-traders  is  a  fab- 
rication as  absurd  as  it  is  base  and  unfounded.  "Were 
it  true,  I  should  not  have  turned  aside  on  my  way 
back  to  liberty  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  Burch. 
I  should  have  avoided  rather  than  sought  him.  I 
should  have  known  that  such  a  step  would  have  re- 
sulted in  rendering  me  infamous.  Under  the  circum- 
stances —  longing  as  I  did  to  behold  my  family,  and 
elated  with  the  prospect  of  returning  home  —  it  is  an 
outrage  upon  probability  to  suppose  I  would  have  run 
the  hazard,  not  only  of  exposure,  but  of  a  criminal 


DEPARTURE   FROM   WASHINGTON.  319 

prosecution  and  conviction,  by  voluntarily  placing 
myself  in  the  position  I  did,  if  the  statements  of 
Burch  and  his  confederates  contain  a  particle  of  truth. 
I  took  pains  to  seek  him  out,  to  confront  him  in  a 
court  of  law,  charging  him  with  the  crime  of  kidnap- 
ping ;  and  the  only  motive  that  impelled  me  to  this 
step,  was  a  burning  sense  of  the  wrong  he  had  inflict- 
ed upon  me,  and  a  desire  to  bring  him  to  justice. 
He  was  accpiitted,  in  the  manner,  and  by  such  means 
as  have  been  described.  A  human  tribunal  has  per- 
mitted him  to  escape  ;  but  there  is  another  and  a 
higher  tribunal,  where  false  testimony  will  not  pre- 
vail, and  where  I  am  willing,  so  far  at  least  as  these 
statements  are  concerned,  to  be  judged  at  last. 

We  left  "Washington  on  the  20th  of  January,  and 
proceeding  by  the  way  of  Philadelphia,  New- York, 
and  Albany,  reached  Sandy  Hill  in  the  night  of  the 
21st.  My  heart  overflowed  with  happiness  as  I  look- 
ed around  upon  old  familiar  scenes,  and  found  myself 
in  the  midst  of  friends  of  other  days.  The  following 
morning  I  started,  in  company  with  several  acquaint- 
ances, for  Glens  Falls,  the  residence  of  Anne  and  our 
children. 

As  I  entered  their  comfortable  cottage,  Margaret 
was  the  first  that  met  me.  She  did  not  recognize  me. 
When  I  left  her,  she  was  but  seven  years  old,  a  little 
prattling  girl,  playing  with  her  toys.  Now  she  was 
grown  to  womanhood  —  was  married,  with  a  bright- 
eyed  boy  standing  by  her  side.     Not  forgetful  of  his 


320  TWELVE   TEAKS   A   SLAVE. 

enslaved,  unfortunate  grand-father,  she  had  named  the 
child  Solomon  Northup  Staunton.  When  told  who 
I  was,  she  was  overcome  with  emotion,  and  unable  to 
speak.  Presently  Elizabeth  entered  the  room,  and 
Anne  came  running  from  the  hotel,  having  been  in- 
formed of  my  arrival.  They  embraced  me,  and  with 
tears  flowing  down  their  cheeks,  hung  upon  my  neck. 
But  I  draw  a  veil  over  a  scene  which  can  better  be 
imagined  than  described. 

When  the  violence  of  our  emotions  had  subsided  to 
a  sacred  joy  —  when  the  household  gathered  round 
the  fire,  that  sent  out  its  warm  and  crackling  comfort 
through  the  room,  we  conversed  of  the  thousand 
events  that  had  occurred  —  the  hopes  and  fears,  the 
joys  and  sorrows,  the  trials  and  troubles  we  had  each 
experienced  during  the  long  separation.  Alonzo  was 
absent  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.  The  boy 
had  written  to  his  mother  a  short  time  previous,  of 
the  prospect  of  his  obtaining  sufficient  money  to  pur- 
chase my  freedom.  From  his  earliest  years,  that  had 
been  the  chief  object  of  his  thoughts  and  his  ambi- 
tion. They  knew  I  was  in  bondage.  The  letter  writ- 
ten on  board  the  brig,  and  Clem  Bay  himself,  had 
given  them  that  information.  But  where  I  was,  until 
the  arrival  of  Bass'  letter,  was  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
Elizabeth  and  Margaret  once  returned  from  school — ■ 
so  Anne  informed  me — weeping  bitterly.  On  inquir- 
ing the  cause  of  the  children's  sorrow,  it  was  found 
that,  while  studying  geography,  their  attention  had 
been  attracted  to  the  picture  of  slaves  working  in  the 


ARRIVAL   HOME,  AND   FIRST   MEETING    WITH   HIS   WIFE  AND   CHILDREN 


CONCLUSION.  821 

cotton-field,  and  an  overseer  following  them  with  his 
whip.  It  reminded  them  of  the  sufferings  their  fa- 
ther might  be,  and,  as  it  happened,  actually  was,  en- 
during in  the  South.  Numerous  incidents,  such  as 
these,  were  related  —  incidents  showing  they  still  held 
me  in  constant  remembrance,  but  not,  perhaps,  of 
sufficient  interest  to  the  reader,  to  be  recounted. 

My  narrative  is  at  an  end.  I  have  no  comments  to 
make  upon  the  subject  of  Slavery.  Those  who  read 
this  book  may  form  their  own  opinions  of  the  "  pe- 
culiar institution."  "What  it  may  be  in  other  States, 
I  do  not  profess  to  know  ;  what  it  is  in  the  region  of 
Tied  River,  is  truly  and  faithfully  delineated  in  these 
pages.  This  is  no  fiction,  no  exaggeration.  If  I  have 
failed  in  anything,  it  has  been  in  presenting  to  the 
reader  too  prominently  the  bright  side  of  the  picture. 
I  doubt  not  hundreds  have  been  as  unfortunate  as 
myself;  that  hundreds  of  free  citizens  have  been  kid- 
napped and  sold  into  slavery,  and  are  at  this  mo- 
ment wearing  out  their  lives  on  plantations  in 
Texas  and  Lonisiana.^But  I  forbear.  Chastened 
and  subdued  in  spirit  by  the  sufferings  I  have  borne, 
and  thankful  to  that  good  Being  through  whose  mer- 
cy I  have  been  restored  to  happiness  and  liberty, 
I  hope  henceforward  to  lead  an  upright  though  lowly 
life,  and  rest  at  last  in  the  church  yard  where  my  fa- 
ther sleeps. 

N*  21 


ROARING    RIVER. 


A    REFRAIN    OF    THE    RED    RIVER    PLANTATION. 


-rHrg~ i~~r— i— ' i    j' iri"  i"™na"*a— " j—n    r~n  r^^— j~r 


~~£!?!T.T!13       .':....TTH !TTTT~^i       ^~TTH     -h"fr4^H~T 

-*— ^--^--  gl-a  —t— . — ' ; — ' — l  «^ w     '■* — : « ■- — L 


Fine. 


=^=ite^^=+: 


ib. 


-1_C— £—51 


e — .«l  — ^ — S  —  -A  — ■  -4- — ! — -j —  — j— ",,^_- 


^r**" 


£-# 


c. 


^=^*^^fp=sjf 


"  Harper's  creek  and  roarin'  ribber, 
Thar,  my  dear,  we'll  live  forebber ; 
Den  we'll  go  to  de  Ingin  nation, 
All  I  want  in  dis  creation, 
Is  pretty  little  wife  and  big  plantation. 

CHORES. 
Up  dat  oak  and  down  dat  ribber, 
Two  overseers  and  one  little  nigger." 


APPENDIX. 


A.— Page  291. 


CHAP.  375. 


An  act  more  effectually  to  protect  the  free  citizens  of  this  State 
from  being  kidnapped,  or  reduced  to  Slavery. 

[Passed  May  14,  1840.] 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New- York,  represented  in  Sen 
ate  and  Assembly,  do  enact  as  follows : 

§  1.  Whenever  the  Governor  of  this  State  shall  receive 
information  satisfactory  to  him  that  any  free  citizen  or  any 
inhabitant  of  this  State  has  been  kidnapped  or  transported 
away  out  of  this  State,  inro  any  other  State  or  Territory  of  the 
United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  being  there  held  in  slavery  ;  or 
that  such  free  citizen  or  inhabitant  is  wrongfully  seized,  im- 
prisoned or  held  in  slavery  in  any  of  the  States  or  Territories 
of  the  United  States,  on  the  allegation  or  pretence  that  such 
a  person  is  a  slave,  or  by  color  of  any  usage  or  rule  of  law 
prevailing  in  such  State  or  Territory,  is  deemed  or  taken  to  bo 
a  slave,  or  not  entitled  of  right  to  the  personal  liberty  belong 
ing  to  a  citizen ;  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  Governor  to 


324:  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

take  such  measures  as  he  shall  deem  necessary  to  procure  such 
person  to  be  restored  to  his  liberty  and  returned  to  this  State. 
The  Governor  is  hereby  authorized  to  appoint  and  employ  such 
agent  or  agents  as  he  shall  deem  necessary  to  effect  the  restora 
tion  and  return  of  such  person ;  and  shall  furnish  the  said  agent 
■with  such  credentials  and  instructions  as  will  be  likely  to  ac 
complish  the  object  of  his  appointment.  The  Governor  may 
determine  the  compensation  to  be  allowed  to  such  agent  for  his 
services  besides  his  necessary  expenses. 

§  2.  Such  agent  shall  proceed  to  collect  the  proper  proof  to 
establish  the  right  of  such  person  to  his  freedom,  and  shall  per- 
form such  journeys,  take  such  measures,  institute  and  procure 
to  be  prosecuted  such  legal  proceedings,  under  the  direction  of 
the  Governor,  as  shall  be  necessary  to  procure  such  person  to 
be  restored  to  his  liberty  and  returned  to  this  State. 

§  3.  The  accounts  for  all  services  and  expenses  incurred  in 
carrying  this  act  into  effect  shall  be  audited  by  the  Comptroller, 
and  paid  by  the  Treasurer  on  his  warrant,  out  of  any  moneys 
in  the  treasury  of  this  State  not  otherwise  appropriated.  The 
Treasurer  may  advance,  on  the  warrant  of  the  Comptroller,  to 
such  agent,  such  sum  or  sums  as  the  Governor  shall  certify  to 
be  reasonable  advances  to  enable  him  to  accomplish  the  pur- 
poses of  his  appointment,  for  which  advance  such  agent  shall 
account,  on  the  final  audit  of  his  warrant. 

§  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


APPENDIX.  325 

B.— Page  292. 

MEMORIAL  OF  ANNE. 

To  His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  New-York : 

The  memorial  of  Anne  Northup,  of  the  village  of  Glens 
Falls,  ha  the  comity  of  Warren,  State  aforesaid,  respectfully 
sets  forth — 

That  your  memorialist,  whose  maiden  name  was  Anne  Hamp- 
ton, was  forty-four  years  old  on  the  14th  day  of  March  last,  and 
was  married  to  Solomon  Northup,  then  of  Fort  Edward,  in 
the  county  of  Washington  and  State  aforesaid,  on  the  25th  day 
of  December,  A.  D.  1828,  by  Timothy  Eddy,  then  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace.  That  the  said  Solomon,  after  such  marriage, 
lived  and  kept  house  with  your  memorialist  hi  said  town  until 
1830,  when  he  removed  with  his  said  family  to  the  town  of 
Kingsbury  in  said  county,  and  remained  there  about  three 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs  in  the  State 
aforesaid,  and  continued  to  reside  in  said  Saratoga  Springs  and 
the  adjoining  town  until  about  the  year  1841,  as  near  as  the 
time  can  be  recollected,  when  the  said  Solomon  started  to  go  to 
the  city  of  Washington,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  since 
which  time  your  memorialist  has  never  seen  her  said  husband. 

And  your  memorialist  further  states,  that  in  the  year  1841 
she  received  information  by  a  letter  directed  to  Henry  B. 
Northup,  Esq.,  of  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county,  New- York, 
and  post-marked  at  New-Orleans,  that  said  Solomon  had  been 
kidnapped  in  Washington,  put  on  board  of  a  vessel,  and  was 
then  in  such  vessel  in  New-Orleans,  but  could  not  tell  how  he 
came  in  that  situation,  nor  what  his  destination  was. 

That  your  memorialist  ever  since  the  last  mentioned  period 
has  been  wholly  unable  to  obtain  any  information  of  where  the 
said  Solomon  was,  until  the  month  of  September  last,  when 


320  TWELVE   TEAKS   A    SLAVE- 

another  letter  was  received  from  the  said  Solomon,  post-marked 
at  Marksville,  in  the  parish  of  Avoyelles,  in  the  State  of  Lou- 
isiana, stating  that  he  was  held  there  as  a  slave,  which  state- 
ment your  memorialist  believes  to  be  true. 

That  the  said  Solomon  is  about  forty-five  years  of  age,  and 
never  resided  out  of  the  State  of  New- York,  in  which  State  he 
was  born,  until  the  time  he  went  to  Washington  city,  as  before 
stated.  That  the  said  Solomon  Northup  is  a  free  citizen  of  the 
State  of  New-York,  and  is  now  wrongfully  held  in  slavery,  in 
or  near  Marksville,  in  the  parish  of  Avoyelles,  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana,  one  of  the  United  States  of  America,  on  the  allega- 
tion or  pretence  that  the  said  Solomon  is  a  slave. 

And  your  memorialist  further  states  that  Mintus  Northup  was 
the  reputed  father  of  said  Solomon,  and  was  a  negro,  and  died 
at  Fort  Edward,  on  the  22d  day  of  November,  1829;  that  the 
mother  of  said  Solomon  was  a  mulatto,  or  three  quarters  white, 
and  died  in  the  county  of  Oswego,  New-York,  some  five  or  six 
years  ago,  as  your  memorialist  was  informed  and  believes,  and 
never  was  a  slave. 

That  your  memorialist  and  her  family  are  poor  and  wholly 
unable  to  pay  or  sustain  any  portion  of  the  expenses  of  restor- 
ing the  said  Solomon  to  his  freedom. 

Your  excellency  is  entreated  to  employ  such  agent  or  agents 
as  shall  be  deemed  necessary  to  effect  the  restoration  and  return 
of  said  Solomon  Northup,  in  pursuance  of  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  New-York,  passed  May  14th,  1840, 
entitled  "  An  act  more  effectually  to  protect  the  free  citizens  of 
this  State  from  being  kidnappd  or  reduced  to  slavery."  And 
your  memorialist  will  ever  pray. 

(Signed,)  ANNE  NORTHUP. 

Dated  November  19,  1852. 


APPENDIX.  327 

State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  county,  ss. 
Anne  Northup,  of  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  in  the  county 
of  Warren,  in  said  State,  being  duly  sworn,  doth  depose  and 
say  that  she  signed  the  above  memorial,  and  that  the  state- 
ments therein  con  tamed  are  true. 

(Signed,)          .  ANNE  NORTHUP. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  before  me  this 
19th  November,  1852. 

Charles  Hughes,  Justice  Peace. 

We  recommend  that  the  Governor  appoint  Henry  B.  Northup, 
of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  county,  New-York, 
as  one  of  the  agents  to  procure  the  restoration  and  return 
of  Solomon  Northup,  named  in  the  foregoing  memorial  of 
Anne  Northup. 

Dated  at  Sandy  Hill,  Washington  Ob.,  N.  Y., 
November  20,  1852.  (Signed.) 

peter  holbrook,        daxiel  sweet, 
b.  f.  hoag,  almon  clark, 

charles  hughes,        bexjamix  ferris, 
e.  d.  baker,  josiah  h.  brown 

oeville  clark. 

State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  County,  ss : 

Josiah  Hand,  of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  in  said  county,  be- 
ing duly  sworn,  says,  he  is  fifty-seven  years  old,  and  was  bora 
in  said  village,  and  has  always  resided  there ;  that  he  has 
known  Mintus  Northup  and  his  son  Solomon,  named  in  the  an- 
nexed memorial  of  Anne  Northup,  since  previous  to  the  year 
1816  ;  that  Mintus  Northup  then,  and  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
cultivated  a  farm  in  the  towns  of  Kingsbury  and  Port  Edward, 
from  the  time  deponent  first  knew  him  until  he  died ;  that  said 
Mintus  and  his  wife,  the  mother  of  said  Solomon  Northup, 


328  TWELVE    YEARS    A    SLAVE. 

were  reported  to  be  free  citizens  of  New-York,  and  deponent 
"believes  they  were  so  free ;  that  said  Solomon  Northup  was 
born  in  said  county  of  Washington,  as  deponent  believes,  and 
was  married  Dec.  25th,  1828,  in  Fort  Edward  aforesaid,  and 
his  said  wife  and  three  children  —  two  daughters  and  one  son  — 
are  now  living  in  Glens  Falls,  Warren  county,  New- York,  and 
that  the  said  Solomon  Northup  always  resided  in  said  county 
of  Washington,  and  its  immediate  vicinity,  until  about  1841, 
since  winch  time  deponent  has  not  seen  him,  but  deponent 
has  been  credibly  informed,  and  as  he  verily  believes  truly, 
the  said  Solomon  is  now  wrongfully  held  as  a  slave  in  the 
State  of  Louisiana.  And  deponent  further  says 'that  Anne 
Northup,  named  in  the  said  memorial,  is  entitled  to  credit,  and 
deponent  believes  the  statements  contained  in  her  said  memo- 
rial are  true.  (Signed,)  JOSIAH  HAND. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  before  me  this 
19th  day  of  November,  1852, 

Charles  Hughes,  Justice  Peace. 
State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  county,  ss : 

Timothy  Eddy,  of  Fort  Edward,  in  said  county,  being  duly 
sworn,  says  he  is  now  over  —  years  old,  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  said  town  more  than  —  years  last  past,  and  that  he  was 
well  acquainted  with  Solomon  Northup,  named  in  the  annexed 
memorial  of  Anne  Northup,  and  with  his  father,  Mintus  North- 
up, who  was  a  negro,  —  the  wife  of  said  Mintus  was  a  mulatto 
woman ;  that  said  Mintus  Northup  and  his  said  wife  and  family, 
two  sons,  Joseph  and  Solomon,  resided  in  said  town  of  Fort 
Edward  for  several  years  before  the  year  1828,  and  said  Min- 
tus died  in  said  town  A.  D.  1829,  as  deponent  believes.  And 
deponent  further  says  that  he  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  ic 
said  town  in  the  year  1828,  and  as  such  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
he,  on  the  25th  day  of  Dec'r,  1828,  joined  the  said  Solomon 


APPENDIX.  329 

Northup  in  marriage  with  Anne  Hampton,  who  is  the  same 
person  who  has  subscribed  the  annexed  memorial.  And  depo- 
nent expressly  says,  that  said  Solomon  was  a  free  citizen  of 
the  State  of  New-York,  and  always  lived  in  said  State,  until 
about  the  year  A.  D.  1840,  since  which  time  deponent  has  not 
seen  him,  but  has  recently  been  informed,  and  as  deponent  be- 
lieves truly,  that  said  Solomon  Northup  is  wrongfully  held  in 
slavery  hi  or  near  Marksville,  hi  the  parish  of  Avoyelles,  hi  the 
State  of  Louisiana.  And  deponent  further  says,  that  said  Min- 
tus  Northup  was  nearly  sixty  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  was,  for  more  than  thirty  years  next  prior  to  his  death,  a 
free  citizen  of  the  State  of  New-York. 

And  this  deponent  further  says,  that  Anne  Northup,  the  wife 
of  said  Solomon  Northup,  is  of  good  character  and  reputation, 
and  her  statements,  as  contained  in  the  memorial  hereto  annexed, 
are  entitled  to  full  credit. 

(Signed,)        TIMOTHY  EDDY. 
Subscribed  and  sworn  before  me  this 

19th  day  of  November,  1852, 

Tim'y  Stoughton,  Justice. 

State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  Comity,  ss : 

Henry  B.  Northup,  of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  in  said 
county,  being  duly  sworn,  says,  that  he  is  forty-seven  years  old, 
and  has  always  lived  in  said  county ;  that  he  knew  Mintus 
Northup,  named  hi  the  annexed  memorial,  from  deponent's 
earliest  recollection  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  Fort  Edward,  hi  said  comity,  in  1829;  that  deponent  knew 
the  children  of  said  Mintus,  viz,  Solomon  and  Joseph;  that 
they  were  both  born  in  the  comity  of  Washington  aforesaid,  as 
deponent  believes ;  that  deponent  was  well  acquainted  with 
said  Solomon,  who  is  the  same  person  named  in  the  annexed 
memorial  of  Anne  Northup,  from  his  childhood ;  and  that  said 


330  TWELVE   YEARS   A   SLAVE. 

Solomon  always  resided  in  said  county  of  Washington  and  the 
adjoining  counties  until  about  the  year  1841 ;  that  said  Solo- 
mon could  read  and  write ;  that  said  Solomon  and  his  mother 
and  father  were  free  citizens  of  the  State  of  New-York ;  that 
sometime  about  the  year  1841  this  deponent  received  a  letter 
from  said  Solomon,  post-marked  New-Orleans,  stating  that 
while  on  business  at  Washington  city,  he  had  been  kidnapped, 
and  his  free  papers  taken  from  him,  and  he  was  then  on  board 
a  vessel,  in  irons,  and  was  claimed  as  a  slave,  and  that  he  did 
not  know  his  destination,  which  the  deponent  believes  to  be 
true,  and  he  urged  this  deponent  to  assist  in  procuring  his  restora- 
tion to  freedom  ;  that  deponent  has  lost  or  mislaid  said  letter, 
and  cannot  find  it ;  that  deponent  has  since  endeavored  to  find 
where  said  Solomon  was,  but  could  get  no  farther  trace  of  him 
until  Sept.  last,  when  this  deponent  ascertained  by  a  letter  pur- 
porting to  have  been  written  by  the  direction  of  said  Solomon, 
that  said  Solomon  was  held  and  claimed  as  a  slave  in  or  near 
Marksville,  in  the  parish  of  Avoyelles,  Louisiana,  and  that  this 
deponent  verily  believes  that  such  information  is  true,  and  that 
said  Solomon  is  now  wrongfully  held  in  slavery  at  Marksville 
aforesaid.  (Signed,)  HENRY  B.  NORTHUP. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me 
this  20th  day  of  November,  1852, 

Charles  Hughes,  J.  P. 

State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  County,  ss 

Nicholas  C.  Northup,  of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  in  said 
county,  being  duly  sworn,  doth  depose  and  say,  that  he  is  now 
fifty-eight  years  of  age,  and  has  known  Solomon  Northup,  men- 
tioned in  the  annexed  memorial  of  Ann  Northup,  ever  since  he 
was  born.     And  this  deponent  saith  that  said  Solomon  is  now 

about  forty-five  years  old,  and  was  born  in  the  county  of  Wash- 


ATPEXDIX.  331 

ington  aforesaid,  or  in  the  county  of  Essex,  in  said  State,  and 
always  resided  in  the  State  of  New-York  until  about  the  year 
1841,  since  which  time  deponent  has  not  seen  him  or  known 
where  he  was,  until  a  few  weeks  since,  deponent  was  informed, 
and  believes  truly,  that  said  Solomon  was  held  in  slavery  in 
the  State  of  Louisiana.  Deponent  further  says,  that  said  Sol- 
omon was  married  in  the  town  of  Fort  Edward,  ha  said  county, 
about  twenty-four  years  ago,  and  that  his  wife  and  two  daugh 
ters  and  one  son  now  reside  in  the  village  of  Glens  Falls,  couu 
ty  of  Warren,  in  said  State  of  New-York.  And  this  deponent 
swears  positively  that  said  Solomon  Northup  is  a  citizen  of  said 
State  of  New- York,  and  was  born  free,  and  from  his  earliest 
infancy  lived  and  resided  in  the  counties  of  Washington,  Essex, 
Warren  and  Saratoga,  in  the  State  of  New-York,  and  that  his 
said  wife  and  children  have  never  resided  out  of  said  counties 
since  the  time  said  Solomon  was  married ;  that  deponent  knew 
the  father  of  said  Solomon  Northup ;  that  said  father  was  a 
negro,  named  Mintus  Northup,  and  died  in  the  town  of  Fort 
EdAvard,  in  the  county  of  Washington,  State  of  New- York,  on 
the  22d  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1829,  and  was  buried  hi  the 
grave-yard  hi  Sandy  Hill  aforesaid ;  that  for  more  than  thirty 
years  before  his  death  he  lived  hi  the  counties  of  Essex,  Wash- 
ington and  Rensselaer  and  State  of  New-York,  and  left  a  wife 
and  two  sons,  Joseph  and  the  said  Solomon,  him  surviving; 
that  the  mother  of  said  Solomon  was  a  mulatto  woman,  and  is 
now  dead,  and  died,  as  deponent  believes,  in  Oswego  county, 
New-York,  within  five  or  six  years  past.  And  this  deponent 
further  states,  that  the  mother  of  the  said  Solomon  Northup 
was  not  a  slave  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  said  Solomon  North- 
up, and  has  not  been  a  slave  at  any  time  within  the  last  fifty 
years.  (Signed,)  N,  C.  NORTHUP. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  before  me  this  19th  day 

of  November,  1852.        Charles  Hughes,  Justice  Peace. 


332  TWELVE   YEAES   A   SLAVE. 

State  of  New-York  : 
Washington  Comity,  ss. 

Orville  Clark,  of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  in  the  county  of 
"Washington,  State  of  New- York,  being  duly  sworn,  doth  de- 
pose and  say  —  that  he,  this  deponent,  is  over  fifty  years  of  age ; 
that  in  the  years  1810  and  1811,  or  most  of  the  time  of  those 
years,  this  deponent  resided  at  Sandy  Hill,  aforesaid,  and  at 
Glens  Falls  ;  that  this  deponent  then  knew  Mintus  Nortlmp,  a 
black  or  colored  man ;  he  was  then  a  free  man,  as  this  depo- 
nent believes  and  always  understood ;  that  the  wife  of  said 
Mintus  Northup,  and  mother  of  Solomon,  was  a  free  woman ; 
that  from  the  year  1818  until  the  time  of  the  death  of  said 
Mintus  Northup,  about  the  year  1829,  this  deponent  was  very 
well  acquainted  with  the  said  Mintus  Northup ;  that  he  was  a 
respectable  man  in  the  community  in  which  he  resided,  and 
was  a  free  man,  so  taken  and  esteemed  by  all  his  acquaintan- 
ces ;  that  this  deponent  has  also  been  and  was  acquainted  with 
his  son  Solomon  Northup,  from  the  said  year  1818  until  he 
left  this  part  of  the  country,  about  the  year  1840  or  1841; 
that  he  married  Anne  Hampton,  daughter  of  William  Hamp- 
ton, a  near  neighbor  of  this  deponent ;  that  the  said  Anne,  wife 
of  said  Solomon,  is  now  living  and  resides  in  this  vicinity ;  that 
the  said  Mintus  Northup  and  William  Hampton  were  both  re- 
puted and  esteemed  in  this  community  as  respectable  men. 
And  this  deponent  saith  that  the  said  Mintus  Northup  and  his 
family,  and  the  said  William  Hampton  and  his  family,  from 
the  earliest  recollection  and  acquaintance  of  this  deponent  with 
him  (as  far  back  as  1810,)  were  always  reputed,  esteemed,  and 
taken  to  be,  and  this  deponent  believes,  truly  so,  free  citizens  of 
the  State  of  New- York.  This  deponent  knows  the  said  Wil- 
liam Hampton,  under  the  laws  of  this  State,  was  entitled  to 
vote  at  our  elections,  and  .he  believes  the  said  Mintus  Northup 
also  was  entitled  as  a  free  citizen  with  the  property  qualifica- 


appendix.  333 

tion.  And  this  deponent  further  saith,  that  the  said  Solomon 
Northnp,  son  of  said  Mintus,  and  husband  of  said  Anne  Hamp- 
ton, when  he  left  this  State,  was  at  the  time  thereof  a  free  citi- 
zen of  the  State  of  New- York.  And  this  deponent  further 
saith,  that  said  Anne  Hampton,  wife  of  Solomon  Northup,  is  a 
respectable  woman,  of  good  character,  and  I  would  believe  her 
statements,  and  do  believe  the  facts  set  forth  in  her  memorial 
to  his  excellency,  the  Governor,  in  relation  to  her  said  husband, 
are  true.  (Signed,)  QRVILLE  CLARK. 

Sworn  before  me,  November 
19th,  1852. 

U.  G.  Paris,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

State  of  New-York  : 

Washington  County,  ss. 

Benjamin  Ferris,  of  the  village  of  Sandy  Hill,  in  said  county, 
being  duly  sworn,  doth  depose  and  say  —  that  he  is  now  fifty- 
seven  years  old,  and  has  resided  in  said  village  forty-five  years ; 
that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  Mintus  Northup,  named  in 
the  annexed  memorial  of  Anne  Northup,  from  the  year  1816 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  at  Port  Edward,  in  the 
fall  of  1829;  that  he  knew  the  children  of  the  said  Mintus, 
namely,  Joseph  Northup  and  Solomon  Northup,  and  that  the 
said  Solomon  is  the  same  person  named  in  said  memorial ; 
that  said  Mintus  resided  in  the  said  county  of  Washington  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  was,  during  all  that  time,  a  free  citi- 
zen of  the  said  State  of  New- York,  as  deponent  verily  believes ; 
that  said  memorialist,  Anne  Northup,  is  a  woman  of  good  char- 
acter, and  the  statement  contained  in  her  memorial  is  entitled 
to  credit. 

(Signed)  BENJAMIN  FERRIS. 

Sworn  before  me,  November 
19th,  1852. 

U.  G.  Paris,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


331  TWELVE   YEARS   A  SLA  YE. 

State  of  New- York: 
Executive  Chamber,  Albany,  Nov.  30,  1852. 
I  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is  a  correct  copy  of  cer 
tain  proofs  filed  in  the  Executive  Department,  upon  which  ] 
have  appointed  Henry  B.  Northup  an  Agent  of  this  State,  to 
take  proper  proceedings  in  behalf  of  Solomon  Northup,  there 
in  mentioned. 

(Signed,)  WASHINGTON  HUNT. 

By  the  Governor. 

J.  F.  R.,  Private  Secretary. 

State  of  New-York  : 
Executive  Department. 
Washington  Hunt,    Governor  of  the  State  of  New-York, 

to  whom  it  may  concern,  greeting  : 

Whereas,  I  have  received  information  on  oath,  which  is  sat- 
isfactory to  me,  that  Solomon  Northup,  who  is  a  free  citizen  of 
this  State,  is  wrongfully  held  in  slavery,  in  the  State  of  Lou- 
isiana : 

And  whereas,  it  is  made  my  duty,  by  the  laws  of  this  State, 
to  take  such  measures  as  I  shall  deem  necessary  to  procure  any 
citizen  so  wrongfully  held  in  slavery,  to  be  restored  to  his  lib- 
erty and  returned  to  this  State  : 

Be  it  known,  that  hi  pursuance  of  chapter  375  of  the  laws  of 
this  State,  passed  in  1840, 1  have  constituted,  appointed  and  em- 
ployed Henry  B.  Northup,  Esquire,  of  the  county  of  Washing- 
ton, in  this  State,  an  Agent,  with  fall  power  to  effect  the  resto- 
ration of  said  Solomon  Northup,  and  the  said  Agent  is  hereby 
authorized  and  empowered  to  institute  such  proper  and  legal 
proceedings,  to  procure  such  evidence,  retain  such  counsel,  and 
finally  to  take  such  measures  as  will  be  most  likely  to  accom 
plish  the  object  of  his  said  appointment. 

He  is  also  instructed  to  px'oceed  to  the  State  of  Louisiana 


APPENDIX.  660 

with  all  convenient  dispatch,  to    execute  the   agency  hereby 
created. 

hi  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  subscribed  my  name, 
[l.s.]       and  affixed  the  privy  seal  of  the  State,  at  Albany,  tins 
23d  day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1852. 
(Signed,)  WASHINGTON  HUNT. 

James  F.  Euggles,  Private  Secretary. 


C— Page  309. 

State  of  Louisiana  : 
Parish  of  Avoyelles. 
Before  me,  Aristide  Barbin,  Recorder  of  the  parish  of  Avoy 
elles,  personally  came  and  appeared  Henry  B.  Northup,  of  the 
county  of  Washington,  State  of  New- York,  who  hath  declared 
that  by  virtue  of  a  commission  to  him  as  agent  of  the  State  of 
New- York,  given  and  granted  by  his  excellency,  Washington 
Hunt,  Governor  of  the  said  State  of  New-York,  bearing  date 
the  23d  day  of  November,  1852,  authorizing  and  empowering 
him,  the  said  Northup,  to  pursue  and  recover  from  slavery  a 
free  man  of  color,  called  Solomon  Northup,  who  is  a  free  citi- 
zen of  the  State  of  New- York,  and  who  was  kidnapped  and  sold 
into  slavery,  in  the  State  of  Louisiana,  and  now  in  the  possession 
of  Edwin  Epps,  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  of  the  Parish  of  Avoy- 
elles ;  he,  the  said  agent,  hereto  signing,  acknowledges  that  the 
said  Edwin  has  this  day  given  and  surrendered  to  him  as  such 
agent,  the  said  Solomon  Northup,  free  man  of  color,  as  afore- 
said, ha  order  that  he  be  restored  to  his  freedom,  and  carried 
back  to  the  said  State  of  New- York,  pursuant  to  said  commis- 
sion, the  said  Edwin  Epps  being  satisfied  from  the  proofs  pro- 
duced by  said  agent,  that  the  said  Solomon  Northup  is  entitled 
to  his  freedom.  The  parties  consenting  that  a  certified  copy  of 
eaid  power  of  attorney  be  annexed  to  this  act. 


336  TWELVE   TEARS    A    SLAVE. 

Done  and  signed  at  Marksville,  parish  of  Avoyelles,  this 
fourth  day  of  January,  one  thousand  eight,  hundred  and  fifty- 
three,  in  the  presence  of  the  undersigned,  legal  and  competent 
witnesses,  who  have  also  hereto  signed. 

(Signed,)  HENRY  B.  NORTHUP. 

EDWIN  EPPS. 
ADE.  BARBIN,  Recorder. 
Witnesses : 

H.  Tavlor, 
John  P.  Waddill. 

State  of  Louisiana  : 
Parish  of  Avoyelles. 
I  do  hereby  certify  the  foregoing  to  be  a  true  and  correct 
copy  of  the  original  on  file  and  of  record  in  my  office. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  of  office  as  Recorder 
[l.  s.]      in  and  for  the  parish  of  Avoyelles,  this  4th  day  of 
January,  A.  D.  1853. 

(Signed,)  ADE.  BARBIN,  Recorder. 

THE     END 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N  C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILLl 


w  1 0  0  i?@2S3  0  4  2  w 


